Mahila court judge R Vijayakumari yesterday awarded the sentence to Sengottaiyan under the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.
According to the prosecution, the accused had lured the five-year-old girl, his neighbour, by offering chocolate and sexually assaulted her at his house in Kalvadangam village in February 2013.
On a complaint from the girl's parents, Theyyur police had registered a case against Sengottaiyan under POCSO and arrested him.