A special court designated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has sentenced a bus cleaner of a school in south Mumbai to 10 years’ imprisonment for repeatedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl in 2015.
The court relied on the testimony of the minor, when she deposed before the court on April 7, 2018. The girl, then in Class 2, told the court that accused, whom she referred to as “blue uncle” took her to the back seat of the bus when no one was there and sexually abused her multiple times. She told the court and the investigating officer that the accused had threatened her not to tell anyone. The incident came to light on September 9, 2014, when the minor’s mother was giving her a bath and she complained about pain in her private parts. When her mother asked her, the girl told her the cleaner used to abuse her in the bus.
According to the Gamdevi police’s probe, each bus of the school had three staff members —one woman attendant and two men cleaners. Public prosecutor Meera Choudhari argued that the accused would take advantage of the time the other staff members went to pick up other children.The defense examined a woman bus attendant, who claimed the kids were never left alone with the men staffers. The court, however, rejected the testimony of the defense witness and considered the deposition of the minor.
{{/usCountry}}According to the Gamdevi police’s probe, each bus of the school had three staff members —one woman attendant and two men cleaners. Public prosecutor Meera Choudhari argued that the accused would take advantage of the time the other staff members went to pick up other children.The defense examined a woman bus attendant, who claimed the kids were never left alone with the men staffers. The court, however, rejected the testimony of the defense witness and considered the deposition of the minor.
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