Court frames rape charges against school principal

PESHAWAR: A court has framed charges against the Hayatabad Children Academy’s principal accused of enticing and blackmailing women, including female students, to have sex with him.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed Yasir Shabbir framed charges against the accused Attaullah belonging to Lakki Marwat district. The judge read out the charges against the accused. He denied the charges and vowed to challenge this in the court.

As per the charge-sheet available with The News, the court read out the eight sections of law against the accused in the courtroom.

Addressing the accused, the judge said, “You (Attaullah), the Principal of Hayatabad Children Academy falling within the jurisdiction of Hayatabad Police Station on multiple accusations and habitually enticed, endued and compelled multiple women of different ages to have illicit relations with you on the premises of the school. You thereby committed the offence punishable under section 365-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) within my cognizance.”

Second, the court told the accused that he had abused multiple women/female victims of different ages against their will and without their consent and obtained their consent by putting them in fear of death and hurt and thereby committed the offence of rape punishable under section 376 PPC.

Third, the court pointed out that, “You forced, persuaded, enticed and coerced the female students studying in your school younger than the age of 18 years to engage in fondling, stroking, caressing and exposing their bodies before you and also engaged in sexually explicit conduct with your minor female\victims and thereby you committed the offence of sexual abuse with minor female victims punishable  under section 377-B PPC read with respect to sections 50 and 53 of the Child Protection Act 2010.”

The court also framed charge against the accused under section 48 of the Child Protection Act 2010 about child pornography by forcing, persuading, enticing and coercing female students younger than the age of 18 years to engage in fondling, stroking, caressing and exposing their bodies before you. The accused also engaged in sexually explicit conduct and simulation of sexual intercourse with minor female victims and captured the said acts on cellphone and secret cameras installed at the premises of the school.

The court also framed charge against the accused under section 497 of the PPC for committing sex with women not lawfully married to him while knowing and having reason to believe that they were married to other men.