Idukki: A fast track court in Kerala on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a man to a total of 30 years imprisonment for several offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, for raping his minor step daughter at their home in Idukki district in the absence of her mother.

However, the convict would be serving only 10 years in prison as that is the highest punishment given to him by the court for each of the offences of aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a minor below the age of 12 years, by a person who was a relative and by someone who was in a position of trust or authority, under the POCSO Act.

The order was passed by Fast Track Court special judge T G Varghese, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) S S Saneesh said.

He said the incident occurred in 2018 when the then 32-year-old step-father raped the minor girl in their home in her mother's absence.

The court convicted the accused on the basis of the victim's testimony as well as the statement given by her younger sister who witnessed the assault, the SPP said.

The mother had turned hostile during the trial.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on the convict and directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide an additional Rs one lakh to the minor girl, under the Victim Compensation Scheme, for her rehabilitation.

Presently, the victim is living in a shelter home run by the Child Welfare Committee, he said.