Hyderabad: School watchman gets 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting student

The incident had been reported to the police in October 2017 by the victim's mother, who said the guard repeatedly sexually assaulted her daughter.

A 30-year-old man was Thursday sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a student of a Hyderabad school where he worked as a watchman.

The incident had been reported to the police in October 2017 by the victim’s mother, who said the guard repeatedly sexually assaulted her daughter during intervals, lunch hours, and after-school hours at the school’s cellar parking, and threatened her against disclosing this to anyone.

The court found Kamal Bhan, a native of Allahabad, guilty under section 5(l)(m)(o) punishable under section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and sections 376(2)(i)(n) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

The special judge for POCSO cases ordered 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000, and another three-month simple imprisonment if the fine amount defaulted. He was further sentenced to undergo one-year rigorous imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 1,000 for the offense punishable under section 506 IPC. Both the sentences are to run concurrently, the judgment said.

During the chief examination, the victim narrated the incident and identified the accused, according to the prosecution, thereby establishing the offenses against him.

The court said the victim be compensated for her physical and mental suffering and asked the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to decide the quantum of compensation to be awarded to her. The matter was referred to the district collector for awarding the compensation at the earliest.

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