A court in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Monday sentenced a 17-year-old youth to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl two years ago, an official said.
Mayurbhanj district additional sessions judge-cum-presiding officer of the children's court, Satyanarayan Patra, has also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict, said additional special public prosecutor Krushna Chandra Das.
In case of default, he has to remain in jail for another period of two months, Das said.
The judgement was pronounced based on the minor victim's statement, 14 witnesses and a medical report, he said.
The convicted youth will be kept in the Rourkela (juvenile home) till he attains the age of 21 years, and after that, he will be taken to Circle Jail Baripada, Das said.
The incident happened in the Upperbeda village under the jurisdiction of Jharpokharia Police Station on June 15, 2022.
The youth had taken the victim to a lonely place and sexually assaulted her.
Later, based on the complaint of the victim's father, the Jharpokharia police registered a case under various sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act.
The police had arrested the accused and forwarded him to the court, police sources said.
