Hyderabad: Velishala Sudhakar, who raped a UKG student while working as an office boy at an international school in Kothapet, was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Special Court for POCSO cases at LB Nagar on Tuesday.
The court also awarded 8 lakh compensation to the girl and imposed a 25,000 fine on Sudhakar. The court delivered the verdict in the case within four months of beginning the trial.
Investigating officials said that the statement of the girl, who was five years old at the time of the incident in September 2022 , played a key role in establishing the guilt of the accused. Statements from her parents and school staff, along with medical reports, corroborated her version of the events, said an official.
According to police, Sudhakar trapped the girl when she was playing on the school campus and took her to a dark spot in the school, saying that he would make her play. There, he sexually assaulted her, and when she cried out in pain, he abandoned her and fled from the spot, continuing with his routine in the school.
After going home, the girl’s mother on learning about incident reported the matter to Chaitanyapuri police, under whose jurisdiction the school falls. Police arrested Sudhakar based on the clues. He hails from Suryapet district and has been working with the school for around four years prior to the crime.
After the police filed a chargesheet, the court took up the trial. During the trial, the girl was examined by the court and the defence counsel. Throughout the process, the girl remained consistent in her version, detailing the sequence of events before and after the assault every time.
Other witnesses and evidence produced before the court also proved the accused’s role in the crime. As a result, the court pronounced him guilty and awarded him punishment, the official added.