Cricket coach sentenced to 47 years’ rigorous imprisonment, Rs 79,000 fine in third POCSO case in Keralam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Special POCSO Court in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced a cricket coach to 47 years of rigorous imprisonment in the third case involving the sexual assault of a minor girl, last Saturday. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 79,000 on the convict.

The convict, M Manu (40), a native of Sreevaraham in Vallakkadavu, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor student whom he coached at a leading cricket academy in the state capital. The court directed that the sentence in the third case will commence only after the completion of the prison terms awarded in the first two cases.

The accused had earlier been sentenced to 16 years and 35 years of imprisonment in the first two POCSO cases. The court ordered that he serve five years and 10 years concurrently in those cases. With the latest verdict, he will undergo an additional 20 years of imprisonment, taking his effective consecutive prison term to 35 years.

According to the prosecution, the survivor joined the cricket coaching centre in 2018 while studying in Class V. Taking advantage of his position as coach, the accused repeatedly subjected the girl to sexual abuse during training sessions.

Trials have been completed in four of the six cases registered against the accused. Judgments have already been delivered in the first three cases, while the verdict in the fourth case is scheduled to be pronounced on Monday. The court has already found him guilty in that case. (ANI)