Summary:
The accused, Naik, took the victim girl to a temple where he sexually abused her. PANAJI: Goa children’s court sentenced a truck driver, Appaji Naik, to five years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh, for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl in March 2016. The bus was delayed. The court acquitted him of the rape charge after it found lack of medical evidence.As the age of the victim girl was below 12, acts of sexual assault amount to aggravated sexual assault.President of the children’s court, Vandana Tendulkar, in her order, stated that it appears to be a case fit to recommend compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the victim girl child under the Goa Victim Compensation Scheme 2012, further read with the Goa Victim Compensation Scheme (first amendment) 2015.The victim girl, a student of Class 3, was waiting along with her friends near a government primary school to take a bus back home after class. The prosecution stated that when the child screamed, a priest slapped the accused, rescued the girl and dropped her home, after which she informed her mother about the entire incident.The court said the priest, who was the most important prosecution witness, was cross-examined at length by the prosecution, but did not accept the prosecution’s case about him (priest) having witnessed the alleged incident or having rescued the girl from the accused and dropping her home, as narrated by the girl.The court also stated that the victim identified the accused in court and started crying profusely after which the court took a break..