Kochi, Dec 28 (IANS) A special Pocso court in Kerala’s Trissur on Wednesday sentenced Catholic priest Raju Kokan to seven years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl in his diocese.
The incident occurred in 2014 and after the incident became public, Raju was on the run. However, the Kerala Police soon traced him to Tamil Nadu’s Nagercoil and arrested him.
The girl, hailing from an impoverished background, was lured by Raju, the parish vicar at a Trissur church on promises of new clothes and he also took pictures of the girl.
During the trial, the fast track court heard 18 witnesses and looked into 24 documents besides the mobile phone.
The court held that whatever has happened should never have happened, and that too, by a priest, and he doesn’t deserve any consideration. – IANS
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