Man handed down three-year imprisonment for sexually abusing boy

A sessions court has sentenced a man to three-year imprisonment for sexually abusing a teenage boy. Sunil Anthony, alias Sunny, was found guilty of assaulting the 13-year-old boy at the former's residence in Azam Town within the jurisdiction of the Mehmoodabad police station in October 2023.

Additional Sessions Judge (South) Abdul Zahoor awarded three years of rigorous imprisonment to the accused for offence punishable under the Section 377 (unnatural offence) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The convict was also ordered to pay a Rs30,000 fine, otherwise, he would have to undergo one-month simple imprisonment on default.

The judge observed that the victim's testimony, coupled with immediate disclosure, identification and corroborating witness accounts built a compelling case, adding that this was further corroborated by the DNA report and the final medico-legal certificate of the victim, which confirmed that the boy was subjected to sodomy, providing sufficient evidence to establish the offence against the accused. "In cases involving charge under sections 377 of PPC, the statement of the victim can be sufficient for conviction, provided it is credible and corroborated by other evidence," he said. "It is also settled law that testimony of a victim, especially in cases of sexual offenses, holds significant weight."

According to state prosecutor Irfana Qadri, on October 30, 2023, the accused sexually abused the 13-year-old victim at his house in Azam Town, Mehmoodabad. She contended that the prosecution successfully established the charge against the accused while examining the victim boy and the complainant, who fully implicated him in the case. She argued that the accused committed a heinous offence which was also proved through medical evidence brought on record during the trial. The defence counsel argued that there were material contradictions in the testimony of the victim, complainant and other witnesses, which could not be ignored and that it established his client was falsely implicated in the case.