The special court for trial of cases registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act here has sentenced the maternal uncle of a 15-year-old girl for sexually assaulting her.
According to the prosecution, Sivan Perumal, 34, hailed from a village under Ambasamudram All Women Police Station limits. He was married to Jaya for nine years and the couple did not have children. As he was desperate to have a baby, Sivan Perumal tried to lure his 15-year-old niece, a beedi-roller living near his house, with the help of his wife.
Jaya invited the girl to her house under the pretext of showing a new saree. The girl went to her uncle’s house on February 15, 2017. Jaya asked her to try the saree and locked the house from inside. Sivan Perumal, with the help of Jaya, sexually assaulted her. The couple pacified her with the promise that Sivan Perumal would marry her as they wanted to have a baby. Subsequently, the girl was sexually assaulted by Sivan Perumal on various occasions and became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby.
When the couple and their relatives started threatening her, she filed a complaint with the police, the prosecution said.
POCSO Court Judge Indrani sentenced Sivan Perumal to life imprisonment and slapped a fine of ₹50,000 on Thursday. Jaya and other accused were acquitted for want of evidence. Though Sivan Perumal denied the charges against him, the DNA test conducted on the baby nailed him.
