Thiruvananthapuram: A man accused of subjecting a 14-year-old autistic boy to "unnatural sex" has been sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment by the Thiruvananthapuram Special POCSO Fast Track Court on Tuesday. The sentenced person has also been imposed a fine of Rs 25,000, which if he fails to submit would invite another additional year of rigorous imprisonment.
The abuse occurred a decade ago, on September 30, 2013. The accused Vimal Kumar, a native of Thiruvananthapuram's Vellanad panchayat, was 31 then. He was a private bus driver.
The incident happened late in the night. It was nearly 11 pm and the day's trip was over. Kumar was resting in the bus at Karoli near Vallakkadavu in Thiruvananthapuram. At that hour, the area was largely silent. It was at this point that the boy came out of his house to dump the house waste in a bin kept on the side of the road.
Kumar initially attempted to strike up a friendly conversation with the boy. Sensing that the boy had panicked, he forcibly hauled the child inside the bus and began abusing him. The prosecution said that Kumar had subjected the minor boy to unnatural sex. Apart from other wounds, the boy's cheeks were later found swollen with aggressive bite marks.
Before he allowed the boy to return to his home, Kumar had warned him of dire consequences if he told anything to his parents. Scared, the boy did not say anything to his parents. The boy was undergoing treatment for autism at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
When the boy exhibited signs of panic later that night, his parents gently coaxed the truth out of him. The very next day, the boy himself pointed out the offender to his parents and relatives. Following this, the Vanchiyoor police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
It was the then Vanchiyoor SI, B Madhusoodanan who investigated the case. The accused had absconded during the trial but was quickly nabbed by the police.
Special public prosecutor R S Vijayamohan appeared for the prosecution. During the trial, 13 witnesses were cross-examined. 17 documents were submitted and three material pieces of evidence were also produced.
