Mumbai: A special Pocso court recently convicted and sentenced a 34-year-old man to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) for repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The victim, who was 15 years and 10 months old at the time of the first incident in July 2021, deposed against the accused, detailing three instances of rape that occurred between July and Sept 2021. The incidents happened in an isolated place where the man worked at a nearby cloth stall. The victim recalled dialing the ‘100′ police emergency number on Oct 30, 2021, to report the abuse. The court acknowledged the three-month delay in reporting the matter, accepting the victim’s explanation that he had threatened her with acid attacks and the removal of her grandmother’s street stall. The judge said that the delay was not fatal to the prosecution’s case, considering the victim’s young age and the psychological impact of the threats.“…evidence of the victim has been found to be cogent, convincing and trustworthy. In this view of the matter, the delay, if any, paled into insignificance. The delay, in this case was not utilised for falsely implicating the accused, concoction of story or introduction of false witnesses,” special judge Nandkishor L More said.It was the prosecution’s case that the victim was residing with her grandparents, father, and two step-brothers. The accused vended clothes near her grandmother’s stall at a market. The accused had given the victim a mobile phone he took on installment, which initiated their contact.In July 2021, the accused lured the victim to a godown, used by his employer as a storage space, under the pretext of collecting a raincoat. There, he forcibly committed rape with her and threatened her with death and acid attacks if she disclosed the incident. Due to these threats, the victim remained silent. A second assault occurred at the same location four to five days after Aug 15, 2021, with similar threats of dire consequences.The accused continued to harass the victim, repeatedly demanding sexual favours. To escape this persistent and unbearable harassment, the victim eventually called the police (dialed 100) in Oct, 2021.The medical evidence showed the possibility of sexual assault.The defence lawyer for the accused argued that the victim’s grandmother harboured ill will due to a dispute over their street stalls, leading to false implication. However, the court found no substance in this claim, noting that the accused was merely an employee and not the owner of the rival stall. The court noted that the prosecution successfully proved that the accused had demanded sexual favors repeatedly and had subjected the minor to rape under threats.The court emphasized that the victim’s consent was immaterial due to her minor age.