Thrissur First Class Additional District and Sessions Court on Tuesday sentenced Sanil K. James, a pastor, to 40 years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act) Act for molesting a minor girl. The judge K.P. Sudheer also slapped a fine of Rs.20,000 on the pastor with Salvation Army Church, Peechi. According to the prosecution, the pastor hailing from Karukachal, Kottayam district, molested the 12-year-old girl, a seventh standard student, in April 2014, at his quarters on the church premises at Peechi.
The court found him guilty under IPC Section 376 (2) (rape) and POCSO Section 5 (S).The judge observed that the accused deserved maximum punishment for his most cruel act against a minor girl.
This is the biggest ever jail term given to an accused under the POCSO Act in the state, according to legal experts. Peechi police investigated the case on a complaint received by the Child Welfare Committee, Thrissur.
