Court awards 18 year jail term in sex scandal case

A 43-year-old woman was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by a court here in a sex scandal case in which a minor girl was raped by several persons.
The district additional sessions court also awarded 11 years jail to another accused, a retired Army officer, in the Varappuzha sex racket scandal, Additional Special Prosecutor M A Joseph Manavalan told reporters here.
The court had yesterday found Sobha John and Jayachandran Nair guilty in one of the cases registered in connection with the sex scandal.
Sobha John, who was found guilty under various sections of IPC including 376 (rape), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation), has been awarded 18 years jail term and slapped with a fine of Rs 1.11 lakh.

The court directed that Rs 1 lakh from the amount be given to the victim, he said.
Nair, who was found guilty under IPC sections including 376, 342 and 506 (1), has been awarded an 11-year jail term and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

The court had acquitted five persons in the case.
The crime branch of the Kerala police had registered 32 cases in connection with scandal busted by Varappuzha police in 2011.
The minor girl was allegedly sold off by her parents to Sobha John under whose custody several persons sexually exploited her.