The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court at Muttom on Thursday sentenced Arun Anand, a resident of Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram, to 21 years in prison for sexually abusing a four-year-old child.
The court said the accused can complete the sentence in 15 years. He was also fined ₹3.8 lakh. The mother of the child was co-living with Anand in a rented house in Thodupuzha ever since her husband’s death.
The brother of the child, a seven-year-old boy, had died after being physically tortured by the accused. Following this, the cruelty towards the four-year-old also came to light.
The court sentenced the accused for physical torture, continued sexual attack on a child below 12 years and sexual action on a child under his parental care. Anand attacked the child in the presence of his mother in the wee hours for urinating on a sofa.
The four-year-old child was found sexually harassed by the accused after an inquiry by the police in the case relating to the attack on his elder brother who was admitted to a hospital.
The police found that the older boy was also sexually attacked by the accused. Earlier, the POCSO Court had found him guilty of committing the crime.
