10 April,2023 07:28 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Representative Image. Pic/iStock
A special court in Mumbai sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor boy, observing that the peaceful memory of childhood is disturbed by such dirty experiences.
Special Judge Priti Kumar (Ghule) had convicted the accused of charges under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on April 3.
The victim, who was 11 years old at the time of the incident in 2019, deposed before the court that he had gone to a park near his house when the accused forcibly took him to an autorickshaw on the pretext of giving him chocolate and showing a mobile phone.
According to the prosecution, the accused had committed similar acts with other children as well.
ALSO READ
Here are the key winners of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024
Tata Memorial refutes Navjot Singh Sidhu’s cancer cure claims for wife
Mahayuti leaders will decide on CM: Fadnavis
Mumbai: Unknown metal object hits train commuters near Bhandup, GRP probes
Delhi Police arrests 'proclaimed offender' from Mumbai
The court, in its order, noted that children were vulnerable and easily went to the accused, as they were lured by mobile phones and chocolates.
The child had remained quiet for a long period of time and only when his parents questioned him, he informed them about the incident, the court said, adding it did not find it a "concocted story".
Also read: Mumbai: Amid Covid surge, BMC makes masks mandatory in hospitals from Tuesday
The child was going to see a mobile phone without his mother's permission, which is why he must have not disclosed the act to the mother, the court noted.
The child has undergone mental trauma due to the sexual offence, it said.
"The peaceful memory of childhood is disturbed by such dirty experiences because of the accused. It definitely will affect the overall development of the child," the court observed.
The court, while convicting the accused, also recommended compensation to the child from various schemes of the District Legal Service Authorities (DLSA).
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.