THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 64-year-old man, Prabhath Kumar, who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old mentally challenged girl, has been sentenced to 52 years of rigorous imprisonment by a special fast-track court in Thiruvananthapuram. Judge R. Rekha delivered the verdict, accompanied by a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional one year and three months of rigorous imprisonment. The court also directed the government to provide compensation to the child.

The incident related to the case took place in 2013 when the child was studying in the 6th standard. It is alleged that the girl was subjected to unnatural sexual harassment while watching TV at home after returning from school. When the girl initially resisted, she was forced into submission, and the use of force resulted in injuries to her mouth and neck. The child's mother is also mentally challenged. Their 85-year-old grandmother looked after them. The next night, when the defendant came home, the grandmother grabbed a machete and ran away while she was about to cut it. The teacher was informed by the friends who saw the bruises on the neck and mouth of the child who came to school the next day. Then the school authorities reported the information to the Poojapura police station.