Sonbhadra (UP), May 23 A court in this Uttar Pradesh district sentenced a 35-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on Saturday for attempting to rape a nine-year-old girl four years ago.
Special Judge (POCSO Act) Omkar Shukla convicted the accused after hearing arguments from both sides.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 on the convict, government advocate Dinesh Prasad Agrahari said.
It the convict fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo an additional six months in prison, Agrahari said, adding that the court has directed that the entire fine amount will be paid to the survivor as compensation.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on January 1, 2022, in a village under the Robertsganj police station area.
The victim's mother got a complaint lodged alleging that the convict took her nine-year-old daughter to his house under the pretext of getting utensils washed. Once inside, he threatened her with a knife and attempted to rape her.
The girl, however, managed to escape from his clutches, reached home and narrated her ordeal to her family members, Agrahari said.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case and launched a probe.
A chargesheet was subsequently filed in the court after sufficient evidence was gathered against the accused, leading to his conviction, Agrahari added.
