A 55-year-old man was today sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a court here for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old mentally challenged girl, the first conviction here under the POSCO Act.
The verdict was delivered within 18 months after the occurrence of the crime.
Mahila Court Judge Meena Sathish ruled that the charges of sexual assault under sections 7 and 8 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and outraging a woman's modesty under IPC section 354 against accused C Karuppiah were proved beyond doubt.
Karuppiah, a chef in a canteen, was also slapped with a fine of Rs 7000. The sentences under the POSCO Act and IPC shall run concurrently, the court said.
On May 20, 2013, the child, daughter of a mason, was sexually assaulted by Karuppiah at her shack in Guindy here. The victim raised an alarm and the assailant was caught when he tried to flee.
