Man sentenced to seven years for sexually abusing 16-year-old stepdaughter
The incident that brought to light the serial abuse took place on August 3, 2020.
The incident that brought to light the serial abuse took place on August 3, 2020.
The incident that brought to light the serial abuse took place on August 3, 2020.
A man convicted for the serial sexual abuse of his 16-year-old stepdaughter was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of Rs 25,000. The survivor's mother, though she was made the second accused in the case, was acquitted for want of evidence.
Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court Judge R Rekha issued the order on Friday. If the convicted person fails to pay the fine, he will serve an additional three months in prison.
The incident that brought to light the serial abuse took place on August 3, 2020. The girl was staying with her mother and stepfather at a house in Balaramapuram, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city. By around midnight, the stepfather entered the girl’s room and tried to force himself on her. In panic, she shook the man off, ran out, and hid in the woods nearby. The man went after her, pulled her out of the hiding place, beat her up and forcibly brought her back to the house.
The mother, who apparently had no idea what had happened, thrashed the daughter the moment she was dragged back to the house. Seeing her furious husband, the mother thought the girl had done something forbidden. The mother vented her anger on the daughter without asking why she ran into the forest. The father later told the mother that the girl had this habit of secretly meeting boys in the woods beyond the house.
Since the mother seemed to trust her husband implicitly, the girl knew her version would be spurned as a lie. So, she turned to the only help she could get: her father's relatives. Ever since her parents divorced, she lived with her mother but sustained her warm connections with her father’s house.
Her father's relatives arrived the very next day and took her back to her father's house. It was to them that the girl revealed that the stepfather had attempted to abuse her many times before. The girl's relatives then informed the police.
During the trial, the survivor recounted the abuse the stepfather had subjected her to. However, she did not say anything against her mother.
The prosecution, led by special public prosecutor R S Vijaya Mohan, crossed 18 witnesses and submitted 23 documents.