Kerala: Man Sentenced To 178 years In Prison For Raping His Minor Daughter

Malappuram: A man was sentenced to 178 years by a POCSO Court in Kerala for raping his 11-year-old daughter in Areekode. The shocking revelations came to light when the child shared the harrowing tale of brutality to the teacher while being taught lessons on good and bad touch at school.

The accused is currently serving a sentence in jail after being convicted in another rape case. The person is accused under sections including rape, trespassing, and intimidation under the POCSO Act.

The Manjeri POCSO court in its verdict said the sentence of 178 years of rigorous imprisonment will be reduced to 40 years as the sentences will be served concurrently.

The incident took place in June 2022 when the 46-year-old father raped his 11-year-old daughter, who was sleeping at home. The complaint said the child was raped three times.

The court observed that the father, who was supposed to protect the child, treated the child cruelly and raped her and that the accused was not entitled to any kind of leniency .

The child was raped three times over a period of one year from January 2022 to January 2023. Public Prosecutor Somasundaram stated that the man had threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the rape, which was why the child did not tell anyone about the rape.

"The child's mother had shared the information about the rape that had occurred three times. The mother then had an argument with the child's father over the same, and he left the house. The next day, when she reached school, the teacher saw the child bleeding from her private part and informed the child's mother. Thinking that she was menstruating, the child was taken to the hospital. When the doctor was later shown the child, the child stated that the bleeding was caused by her father's foot unknowingly hitting her lower abdomen," the public prosecutor added.

A few days later, the child first revealed the information about the rape to the school teacher. The child told the teacher about the ordeal she had experienced while she was teaching good and bad touch at school. The teacher then informed the Areekode police. After receiving the information, a case was registered and the police started an investigation. The police also recorded the child's statement in the presence of the mother.

The man, who was in jail for raping a disabled neighbour in 2021, raped the child while he was on bail. The public prosecutor said that the accused has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for 40 years each under various sections of the POCSO Act.

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