A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court in Kohima has sentenced a 66-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old girl in Phentejon BM village under Nagaland’s Tseminyu district in 2019.
The convict, identified as Ngabu Kent, was found guilty by Principal District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (POCSO) Mezivolu T. Therieh. The court delivered the judgment on August 3 and pronounced the sentence on August 4.
Besides the prison term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000. In the event of non-payment, the convict will have to undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment.
The court also directed the Nagaland government to provide Rs 1 lakh as victim compensation. It instructed the Kohima District Legal Services Authority to facilitate and monitor the disbursement of the compensation to the survivor.
While pronouncing the sentence, the court observed that the victim had suffered severe physical, mental and emotional trauma as a result of the offence. It noted that her vulnerability as a child constituted a significant aggravating factor in determining the quantum of punishment.
