A special court for trial of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a 62-year-old man to 11 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in 2018.

Special Court Judge K. Karunanithi slapped a fine of ₹1,000 on the accused, identified as P. Ramachandran.

According to Special Public Prosecutor K. Selvipriya, the crime was committed on August 15, 2018.

The parents had left the girl alone at home as they had gone to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry where the victim’s grandfather was undergoing treatment.

Taking advantage of the situation, the accused took her to the terrace and sexually assaulted her. A neighbour, who noticed Ramachandran entering the house, went inside and found him sexually assaulting the girl. He chased the accused away and narrated the incident to the girl’s parents. Mantharakuppam police registered a case against Ramachandran under Section 6 of POCSO Act and arrested him.