Kerala court sentences man to cumulative 72 years imprisonment for raping daughter

Idukki (Kerala) | A 66-year-old man has been convicted and sentenced to a cumulative of 72 years imprisonment by a Kerala court for the repeated rape of his minor daughter when she was between the ages of 10 to 14 years.

Idukki Fast Track Special Court judge Laijumol Sheriff sentenced the accused to varying jail terms for offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IPC for a total of 72 years, special public prosecutor Shijomon Joseph said.

However, the man will serve 20 years in prison as the sentences have to be served concurrently and that was the highest jail term given to him by the judge, the SPP said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.8 lakh on the convict and said that if he pays it, the amount shall be given to the victim.

It also recommended to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Thodupuzha to provide compensation to the victim under the Kerala State Victim Compensation Scheme, the SPP said.

According to the prosecution, the victim was raped between the ages of 10 to 14 years when she came to her home in Vagamon village here from her school hostel during vacations.

The incident occurred between the years 2012 to 2016, but the victim came forward with a complaint only in 2020.

The prosecution told the court that the girl did not reveal earlier what happened to her as her father had been imprisoned in jail in a murder case and she feared that he would kill her too if she disclosed the sexual assaults suffered by her.

She later revealed the incidents of sexual assault to her father's friend who used to help her with her studies, the prosecutor said.

Her father's friend asked her to inform the police and then she made her complaint, the SPP said.

The SPP also said that the girl had a habit of writing down the bad experiences she had suffered from her father on pieces of paper and keeping them under her bed.

These notes were found by the police at the crime scene and helped the prosecution, he said.