A man sentenced to double life imprisonment for multiple rapes of his partner’s granddaughters at TVM

Thiruvananthapuram: The Fast Track Special Court (POCSO) on Wednesday sentenced a man to double life imprisonment for repeated sexual assault on the minor granddaughter of his live-in partner. Justice Rekha R also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on the 68-year-old accused.

According to the prosecution, the man sexually assaulted the then six-year-old girl and her elder sister – who was nine – on separate occasions between September 2020 and November 2021 at the grandmother’s rented houses in Varikkamukku and Murukkumpuzha, located here.

The court in its sentencing order noted that the survivor and her elder sister were in a care facility due to the heinous crime committed against them by the accused. It further stated that he “destroyed their childhood” and “left them in extreme poverty and deplorable conditions while their mother was abroad.”

“As a result of the shameful crime committed by the accused, the children lost their grandmother’s company. Considering the heinous acts committed by the accused against the accused at her tender age, the age of the accused cannot be considered as a mitigating factor. The Court is of the view that the iron hands of the law should bind the accused and impose maximum punishment to deter potential perpetrators from committing similar crimes and send a strong message to society,” he said.

The court ordered that if the amount is recovered from the convict, it should be paid to the survivor in the form of compensation. It also said the life sentence terms would run concurrently. The prosecutor stated that in addition to sexually assaulting the minors, the man also showed them pornographic films on various days during the same period. The prosecutor stated that their mother was abroad at that time. On November 5, the court will issue a separate judgment in the case of sexual molestation of an older child by the accused, reports PTI.