Chennai man sentenced to 20 years jail for sexually assaulting minor

A special court in Chennai has sentenced a 33-year-old man, R Mohanraj, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old minor girl. Judge S Padma of the POCSO special court delivered the verdict after finding the accused guilty based on medical records and witness testimonies. The victim's pregnancy, resulting from the assault, was medically terminated at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.

The sexual assaults took place in June 2020 during the lockdown period. According to the prosecution, the victim was forced to stay home alone while her parents went out to work. Mohanraj, who was a neighbour and had met the girl through a relative, lured her to his residence by promising to give her biryani. He then sexually assaulted her three times inside his home.

The victim did not immediately inform her family about the abuse because Mohanraj threatened to hurt her if she revealed the assault. The matter came to light three months later when the girl's mother, who works as a coolie, noticed her daughter's swollen stomach. When questioned, the girl informed her mother that she had missed her menstrual periods and revealed the repeated assaults by their neighbour.

Following the revelation, the victim's mother filed a police complaint, which led to the arrest of Mohanraj. The girl was subsequently taken to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, where her pregnancy was medically terminated.

During the trial, the court recorded the statements of both the victim and her mother. Based on these statements and supporting medical records, Judge S Padma confirmed Mohanraj's guilt. Along with the 20-year prison sentence, the judge ordered the state government to pay ₹3,05,000 as compensation to the victim to address the mental trauma she underwent.