Thiruvananthapuram: A fast-track special court has sentenced 40-year-old cricket coach Manu M, a native of Vallakadavu, to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl student at a cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Judge Anju Meera Birla also ordered compensation of ₹24,000 to be paid to the survivor. If Manu fails to pay the fine, he will serve an additional 2.5 years in prison.

The case involves students who enrolled at a leading cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The convict reportedly took some of the girls to the centre’s gym under the pretext of training and sexually assaulted them on different occasions. He also demanded that the girls send him explicit photographs, which they refused to do. Following the refusal, the coach allegedly withheld proper coaching, causing the students to move to other centres.

Investigations revealed that Manu had abused at least five other students. The incidents came to light during a girls’ cricket tournament in 2024, when one of the survivors spotted the accused and reported the matter, encouraging others to come forward. Six cases were registered against him, of which trials for four cases have been completed.

During the trial, the Cantonment Police submitted 25 documents, and the prosecution team, led by Special Public Prosecutor Adv R S Vijay Mohan, along with Adv Surabhi P and Adv Ravi Shankar Thampi H A, examined 14 witnesses to secure the conviction.