Thanjavur : A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment by a court for raping and impregnating his teenage daughter two years ago.

Mahila Court Judge Balakrishnan awarded the punishment, which would effectively mean the man will be in prison for lifetime.

The judge ordered Subramaniam of Pattukottai in the district to undergo the four life imprisonments consecutively.

According to the prosecution, Subramaniam had raped his daughter after gagging and tying her limbs at their house when her mother was away in 2016.

He had threatened her not to inform anyone about the incident and repeatedly assaulted the 17-year old girl sexually several times later, it said.

In March the next year, the girl developed severe stomach pain and was found to be pregnant.

She gave birth to a baby girl a few weeks later. Only after her mother's constant questioning, the girl revealed that she had been raped by her father.

Based on a complaint by the girl's mother, Pattukkottai all-woman police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested Subramaniam, who was reportedly a heavy drinker.