Thanjavur: The Mahila Fast Track Court in the city sentenced a farmer to 10 years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2014.

According to the prosecution, the 17-year-old girl, hailing from Orathanadu area, went missing under mysterious circumstances in September 2014. Based on a complaint by her parents, Orathanadu police conducted an enquiry.

Investigations by the police revealed that one of the girl’s relatives, Mani (39), farmer and resident of East Street in Kakkarai village had taken the girl to Chennai and Tiruppur where he had sexually assaulted the minor girl promising to marry her.

Police registered a case under sections 365 (kidnapping with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person) and 366 (abducting or inducing a woman to compel marriage) of IPC and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, and arrested Mani.

The trial of the case was conducted at the Mahila Fast Track Court. The judge who heard the case found Mani guilty of abducting and sexually assaulting the minor girl. The judge, pronouncing his verdict in the case on Monday, sentenced Mani to undergo seven years’ imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on the first account, 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 on the second account, and 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 on the third account. The judge, however, ordered the convict to undergo the imprisonment concurrently.