Leading cricket coach Manu found guilty in second sexual assault case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manu M (40), a former coach of the Kerala Cricket Association in Thiruvananthapuram, was found guilty in a second sexual assault case. The court found him guilty in the case of sexually assaulting a student during training. Fast-track special court judge Anju Meera Birla found him guilty. The sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday.

Manu was a coach at a leading cricket coaching centre in the capital. The victim of the assault was a girl who had attended coaching here since 2018. After a few days of training, Manu took the girl to various places and started sexually assaulting her. In addition, he started recording nude videos of the girl, which he used to threaten her later. The nude video of the girl was taken using another girl, who was a victim of Manu’s assault.

After the girl did not give in to his wishes, Manu stopped providing proper coaching to her. The girl then joined another coaching centre. Manu then threatened to ruin her cricket future if she revealed the details of the harassment. Five girls who came to be coached also alleged facing similar sexual assault from Manu.

The details of the abuse came to light in 2024 when another girl came forward against the coach. The girl, who had come to participate in a cricket tournament in Thiruvananthapuram, started a ruckus after seeing Manu. After the girl took legal action against the accused, more victims showed up to file a case against Manu. Six complaints were filed against Manu, and he was found guilty of two.