55-year-old gets four lifers for abusing two minor daughters

The man forced his two daughters to stay with him and sexually abused them for more than two years after forcing out the girls' mother by picking up frequent quarrels.

Malappuram (Kerala): A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Manjeri sentenced the 55-year-old to serve four terms of life imprisonment on Wednesday.

The court sentenced the man to 17 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 3 lakhs in two separate cases for abusing his two minor daughters. The man forced his two daughters to stay with him and sexually abused both for over two years after he forced out the girls' mother. The abuse came to light after the girls managed to escape the bondage and reported the matter to their mother, who was then staying with her relative.

The younger girl, who was 16 years of age then, was the first one to depose and the police registered a case against the man under various sections of POCSO and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) following a complaint from the mother. Subsequently, another First Information Report (FIR) was registered after the elder daughter, who was then 17, also opened up about the abuse.

Edakkara Circle Inspector K M Devassia investigated the case and filed the chargesheet in both cases. The prosecution presented 17 witnesses and produced 12 documents in support of the police chargesheets against the accused. The court upheld the argument of the prosecution which sought no mercy for accused from the court since 'he failed to show mercy to his own daughters.'

Conviction in the first case, based on the deposition of the younger daughter, was delivered on the August 13 and the second case on the sexual abuse of the elder daughter was delivered on August 25.

The POCSO special court Judge, P T Prakashan pronounced the judgment after considering various charges of rape, threatening, crime against juveniles, attack on the modesty of women, and illegal forced custody.

The judgment specifically mentioned that the convicted man should be in prison till his last breath and added that if he fails to pay the fine, he should undergo two more years of rigorous imprisonment.

The abuse pertaining to the two cases happened between the 2014 and 2016 period. The convict forced out his wife through frequent quarrelling and forcefully retained the girl daughters with a criminal intention to abuse them sexually. According to the case, the man continuously abused the children and threatened them against speaking out.