Kerala Priest Held Guilty of Raping and Impregnating Minor, Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail
Following the conviction, Father Robin Vadakkanchery of the Mananthavady diocese has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Kannur, February 16: A POCSO court on Saturday held a priest guilty of raping and impregnating a minor. Following the conviction, Father Robin Vadakkanchery of the Mananthavady diocese has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Six others, including five nuns, who were charged for covering up the sexual assault, were let go by the court for lack of substantial evidence against them.
Vadakkancery, the vicar of St Sebastian Parish in Kottiyoor, was arrested on February 28, 2017, for raping the 16-year-old girl in May 2016. The matter came to light when the victim delivered a baby at the Christu Raj Hospital, a church-run institution on February 7, 2017. Her parents also kept her in dark about the pregnancy and told her that she was being operated upon for appendicitis. Death Threat to Ram Nath Kovind: Kerala Priest Arrested For Informing Police That President Would be Killed.
However, the matter was brought to the notice of Childline, a children’s welfare group, through an anonymous letter. Subsequently, a case was registered by Peravoor police and on February 28, 2017, and 11 people were charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO). The case witnessed several twists and turns during the trial against Vadakkancery and others.
At one point, the girl's father had even claimed that he'd raped his own daughter and impregnated her. The victim also told the court that she was a major at the time of the incident and the relationship was consensual, reports said. However, the court declared her 'hostile'. On August 1, the Supreme Court discharged sister Tessy Jose, a gynaecologist, sister Ancy Mathew of a private hospital and paediatrician Hyder Ali from facing trial in the case.
The trial was completed in December 2018. On Saturday, the additional district sessions court in Thalassery, which is the designated court for hearing POSCO Act cases, found Vadakkancery guilty and sentenced him to 60 years of rigorous imprisonment in three charges including rape. The court allowed to serve all three sentences together.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2019 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).