Breaks in and attempts assault on girl, threatens family; Youth sentenced to 20 years in prison

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The court has sentenced the accused, Mithun (26) of Mithun Bhavan, Paripally East, Kollam to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000. This ruling comes from the Thiruvananthapuram fast-track special court which found Mithun guilty of molesting a six-year-old girl.

If the fine is not paid, he will serve an additional year in prison. The fine is to be paid to the victim girl. Judge R Rekha also ordered that the child should be compensated by the Legal Services Authority.

The incident occurred on November 30, 2021, when Mithun forcibly entered the girl's home, assaulted her and tore her clothes. The child's mother witnessed the horrifying event and despite her cries for help, the accused continued his attack. Subsequently, the mother called for assistance from the neighbours, at which point Mithun discarded the child and fled. The child sustained severe injuries during the assault.

Following the incident, the family of the child refrained from filing a complaint due to their fear of the accused. The child's school head teacher later brought the family to the police to report the crime.

Upon learning of this, Mithun physically assaulted the girl's family and threatened them to withdraw the complaint. He even went as far as threatening to harm them if they testified against him. Despite these threats, the girl and her family bravely testified against Mithun.

While the accused was in custody, his bail was revoked and the trial of the case proceeded. The prosecution presented 17 witnesses while the defence presented four witnesses including the accused. The prosecution submitted three pieces of evidence and 20 documents.