Man sentenced to 47 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting minor with Down syndrome

Thiruvananthapuram: The fast-track court on Friday sentenced a 41-year-old man to 47 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old girl with Down syndrome. Judge R Rekha also imposed Rs 25,000 fine on the convict, who is also a close relative of the survivor. The judgment also stated that failure to pay the fine will result in an additional eight months of imprisonment.
The incident happened on Sep 25, 2020, when the girl was alone at home. The girl's elder sister, who arrived there and witnessed the crime, hit the man with a stick lying nearby and chased him away.
The survivor also sustained serious injuries in the assault. She later disclosed that she was assaulted by the man on two previous occasions as well.
In her judgment, the judge also stated that the crime was particularly heinous as it targeted a child with disabilities and that the accused showed no mercy. "Such an act deserves no leniency," she observed while pronouncing the sentence.
Special public prosecutor RS Vijay Mohan appeared for the prosecution. The prosecution examined 31 witnesses and presented 31 documents along with three pieces of evidence. The case was investigated by officers Sunil Gopi, V Rajesh Kumar, and PS Vinod of Nedumangad police station.