Thiruvananthapuram: A Fast Track Special Court in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday sentenced a government school matron, Jean Jackson, to 18 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy with hearing and speech impairments. Judge R Rekha also imposed a fine of ₹30,000, with an additional six months' imprisonment in case of non-payment.

The victim, a sixth-grade student residing in a government school hostel, was assaulted by the accused inside the hostel premises. Another student with similar disabilities witnessed the crime. When the accused later discovered that the witness had confided in someone, she attempted to intimidate him again—this time in front of other students. They reported the matter to the teachers, bringing the abuse to light.

Both the victim and the witness testified in court with the assistance of a sign language interpreter, confirming the incident.

The prosecution, led by RS Vijay Mohan, presented 25 witnesses and 28 documents. The defence countered with three witnesses and four documents. One defence witness, a teacher named Robinson, claimed the victim had told him that the court testimony was fabricated. The court allowed the prosecution’s request to re-examine the child, who denied ever speaking to the teacher, leading the court to dismiss the teacher's statement.

In its verdict, the court held that Jean Jackson's role as a public servant made the crime even more severe and ruled out leniency. It also emphasised that the psychological trauma endured by the children could not be ignored. Special public prosecutor Vijayamohan R S appeared for the prosecution. The case was investigated by Museum Police Sub-Inspectors P Harilal, Shyamlal J Nair, and Jijukumar.