Mumbai: A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court has sentenced a 25-year-old man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl when inside a public toilet where he worked in November 2019.
According to the prosecution case, the complainant had said that on November 5, 2019, she was playing outside on the road with some other children. Later on, she went to the public toilet to answer nature’s call.
The girl said that when she was about to exit the washroom, the accused entered and sexually assaulted her. When she screamed, he slapped and let her go. She alleged that the accused gave her ₹20 and also threatened to not reveal anything to anyone.
The girl, however, went home and confided in her sister, who later informed their mother. The family then reported the incident to the Sewri police station leading to the accused’s arrest.
The public prosecutor Pranjali J Joshi examined six witnesses, including the survivor, her mother and the medical officer who examined her, to bring home the guilt of the accused.
He, however, claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case, as he was known to the family and he had alleged that the victim’s brother worked with him at the public toilet for maintenance.
The medical officer who examined the girl confirmed that she was sexually assaulted. The defence lawyer, however, claimed that the rashes on her private parts could also be due to tight undergarments and also possible due to infection. The possibility, however, was ruled out by the doctor, who maintained that the injuries or rashes were possible only due to penetrative sexual assault.
The special POCSO court accepted the survivor’s testimony and the supporting evidence of the doctor and rejected his defence. The court convicted the accused and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
