Sexually abused friend's son; accused sentenced to 23 years of rigorous imprisonment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A man who sexually abused a minor boy has been sentenced to 23 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 55,000. The accused is 42-year-old Ratheesh, also known as Sekharan, a native of Pozhikkara, Vettukadu. The judgment was delivered by Judge G. Ramesh Kumar of the POCSO fast-track court in Kattakkada. The accused will have to undergo an additional 13 months of rigorous imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

The victim was a 12-year-old boy, the son of the accused's friend. The incident occurred during the Onam holidays in 2019. The boy’s father works as a mason. On the day of the incident, the accused visited the boy's house, consumed alcohol, and stayed there overnight. Later that night, while the child was asleep, the accused approached and sexually assaulted him. Due to fear, the boy did not disclose the incident to anyone. He revealed the abuse during a counselling session at school, following which the family filed a police complaint.

Special Public Prosecutor D. R. Pramod appeared for the prosecution. The case involved the examination of 19 witnesses and the submission of 26 documents. Ratheesh and Ashok Kumar, who were officers at the Valiyathura Police Station at the time, completed the investigation and submitted the charge sheet.