The Mahila Court in Tiruppur on Monday awarded 40 years of imprisonment to a 47-year-old man for sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2020.
Family Court judge V.P. Sugandhi, Mahila Court in-charge, awarded the punishment to Ammavasai, resident of a village near Udumalpet.
He was arrested by the All Women Police Station, Udumalpet, on July 1, 2020 on charges of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl from his neighbourhood. According to the police, the man forcefully took the girl to his house, when she was alone at her residence, and sexually assaulted.
He was arrested for offences under Sections 5(l) (whoever commits penetrative sexual assault on the child more than once or repeatedly), 5 (m)(whoever commits penetrative sexual assault on a child below 12 years) read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The police said that court found him guilty for the offences under Sections 5 (l) and (m) of POCSO Act and awarded 20 years of imprisonment each for the two offences. The sentences will run concurrently. The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on Ammavasai.