Thiruvananthapuram Principal POCSO Court, which deals with cases of atrocities against women and children, sentenced an Assam native to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for three years for molesting a minor girl two years ago.
Judge Shibu M.P. pronounced the verdict against Saddam Hussein, 32, of Hojai district in Assam. He was also imposed a fine of ₹15,000.
According to public prosecutor J.K. Ajith Prasad, the incident occurred in December 2022 when the survivor, who was aged nine years old, had gone to participate in the Beemapally Uroos with her family.
The accused, who is differently abled, had attempted to sexually assault the girl when she was sleeping along with her mother and brother near the mosque. On noticing the accused, the mother screamed and alerted other people in the area. Despite fleeing from the area, Saddam Hussein was soon apprehended by the Poonthura police.
The court did not accept defence arguments that the accused had attempted to steal the child’s ornaments and not molest her. The pleas made for leniency considering his physical deformity were also turned down. The prosecution presented 15 witnesses and 19 documents.
