PANJIM: Goa Children’s Court today sentenced 32-year-old man from Fatorda to 17 months imprisonment for molesting a minor girl by trespassing in her house in May 2009.
Dinesh Achary, who was convicted by the court last week, was sentenced for imprisonment by the court which termed his crime as ‘offence against the society.’ “The offence committed is against a child. It is by now settled that accused in these offenses cannot be let out with light punishment,” Goa Children’s Court President P V Sawaikar said in the order today.
The order added: “It is also an offense against the society and public should not have an impression that the accused are dealt with lightly. The accused should be dealt with stern hand so that it acts deterrent to the other persons who tend to commit such offenses.”
According to the prosecution, on May 09, 2009 Achary had trespassed into victim’s house at Fatorda and molested her when her parents were sleeping next to her.
The accused was chargesheeted of (partly) striping the minor when she was sleeping with her mother on one side and her father and two sisters on the other side of the same rented room on the fateful night.
Police stated that Achary entered the room by unlocking the door with the help of the open window. He was sharing accommodation with the victim’s family. Achary was caught by victim’s father when he tried to molest the girl and was handed over to the police.
The court today convicted him on two counts – molestation and trespassing. While, he has been sentenced to one year imprisonment and Rs 1000 fine for trespass, the Court sentenced him to one-year and five month imprisonment and fine of Rs 5000 for offense under Goa Children’s Act 2003. Both the sentences will run concurrently.
The victim will be paid Rs 3,000 as compensation which would be recovered from the fine paid by the accused. (HD)
I doubt this Achary is a Goan. He should have been branded on the forehead as a child molester, so that others are aware of his crime. The punishment awarded is a joke of the judicial system. Goa needs to have stricter punishment to deter these type of criminals.
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