HC upholds conviction, sentence of senior citizen for sexual assault of minor

The Delhi High Court has upheld the conviction of and six-year jail term awarded to a senior citizen for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl who used to visit his house to play with his grandchildren.

Justice S P Garg dismissed the 65-year-old man's appeal against the trial court's decision which had also held him guilty of sexually harassing and outraging the modesty of the minor girl.

The court said the man deserved no leniency as the crime committed by him was "reprehensible and cannot be pardoned" as the "victim was akin to his granddaughter".

"The appellant (Shyamu) aged around 65 years was aware as to what he was doing and what were the consequences of the wrongdoing. The court can well understand the trauma of the parents, when they came to know that the appellant who lived in their neighbourhood had ravished the innocent child who had unsuspectingly gone to play in his house. The appeal being unmerited is dismissed," the court said.

According to the statement given by the victim, on March 17, 2014, when she had gone to play with the grandchildren of Shyamu he had inappropriately touched her private parts.

She had communicated the incident the same day to her parents who had lodged a complaint with the police.

The victim's statement was supported by the forensic evidence which showed that traces of the man's semen was present on the girl's undergarments.

The high court, in its order dismissing Shyamu's appeal, also said that he was unable to explain presence of his semen on the victim's clothes.