Head constable sentenced to five years imprisonment for sexual assault

A 39-year-old head constable attached to Uthiyur police station in Tiruppur district was sentenced to undergo five years of imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl onboard a train in 2018.

The nine-year-old victim from Uttarakhand was travelling with her parents from Chennai to The Nilgiris in a reserved coach in January, 2018.

Jegan of Dharapuram was also travelling in the same coach and the victim’s parents were fast asleep when the incident occcured. When the train was nearing Erode Railway Junction, Jegan committed the crime and the girl raised an alarm. The girl narrated the incident to her parents. After the train arrived at the station, they lodged a complaint with the Erode Railway Police, who registered a case under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and arrested him.

Judge R. Malathi found the accused guilty and sentenced him to undergo five years imprisonment and levied a fine of ₹5,000. The judge asked the State government to pay a compensation of ₹50,000 from the Victim Compensation Fund to the girl.