Kochi: Hours before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court pronounced punishment in the 2017 actress assault case on Friday, the six convicts - Sunil alias Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H and Pradeep - made emotional submissions, with several citing elderly parents, young children and claims of innocence in a last-minute plea for leniency.

The court asked each of the convicts whether they wished to say anything before sentencing. Pulsar Suni told the court that he had “only an elderly mother at home,” urging the judge to consider his family circumstances.

Martin Antony broke down, insisting he had been wrongfully convicted. “I have been in prison for five and a half years for a crime I did not commit. I have never had even a petty case before this. I am innocent,” he said. He added that his ailing parents depended solely on him for support and pleaded for acquittal rather than punishment.

Manikandan B, the third accused, also highlighted his family responsibilities. “I have a wife, a nine-year-old son and a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. I am the only support they have,” he said, adding that he had no criminal history.

Vijesh VP, the fourth accused, requested a reduced sentence along with a transfer to Kannur Jail. While the fifth accused Salim H maintained that he was innocent, the sixth accused Pradeep did not make any detailed submission but sought the court’s compassion.

Judge Honey M Varghese listened to all the appeals before proceeding with the sentencing. The court had on December 8 convicted the first six accused, while acquitting actor Dileep and three others. The verdict marked a major turning point in the high-profile case that had shaken Kerala and the Malayalam film industry nearly eight years ago.