Kerala Court Orders Life Imprisonment Of AIDS Patient For Sexually Assaulting Minor Boy

On the day of the incident, the accused exposed the child to obscene videos and subsequently committed multiple acts of sexual assault.

The incident occurred in August 2020 when the victim, a young boy, was alone at home.

A 39-year-old man in Kerala, diagnosed with AIDS in 2011, has been sentenced to three years of life imprisonment by a court in Kollam district for sexually assaulting a minor boy. The incident occurred four years ago.

Punalur Fast Track Special Court Judge Baiju T D sentenced the man to life imprisonment for multiple offenses, including those under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC, and Sections 5(l) (penetrative sexual assault on the child more than once) and 5(m) (penetrative sexual assault on a child below twelve years) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, according to Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Ajith K P, according to a report on PTI.

Although the sentences are to be served concurrently, the accused will serve only one life term, as clarified by the Public Prosecutor. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 1.05 lakh on the convict.

The incident occurred in August 2020 when the victim, a young boy, was alone at home. The accused, who worked in the victim's father's shop, became familiar with the child.

On the day of the incident, the accused exposed the child to obscene videos and subsequently committed multiple acts of sexual assault. The matter came to light when the boy's mother discovered him watching inappropriate videos on his father's mobile phone. Upon being reprimanded, the child disclosed the traumatic experience, leading the parents to report the incident to the police.

The SPP revealed that all tests conducted on the child thus far have shown negative results for the presence of the AIDS virus. However, a final confirmation of the absence of infection requires one more test, scheduled 2-3 years later, according to Public Prosecutor. Medical experts testified during the trial, suggesting a lower likelihood of infection as the accused was undergoing antiretroviral medication.