Man gets life in prison for rape of child in Meherpur

The incident occurred in Meherpur town on Jun 19, 2018

A Meherpur court has sentenced a man to life in prison in a case over the rape of a child.

Judge Md Tajul Islam of the Meherpur Child Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Sunday afternoon, according to Public Prosecutor Mostafizur Rahman Tuhin.

The convict, Daud Ali, was also fined Tk 100,000. He will have to serve another year in prison if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the case dossier, the incident took place on Jun 19, 2018, when the 11-year-old child was walking near her home in Meherpur town.

Daud, a neighbour, allegedly lured the child to his house, where the incident took place.

Locals found the child ill at Daud’s house the next morning after a search. Her father later filed the case with the tribunal.

PP Mostafizur said the court heard testimonies and cross-examined 11 witnesses during the trial.

The child gave a statement before a magistrate under Section 22 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, while the accused gave a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, according to Mostafizur.

After reviewing the witness statements, the confessional statement and the child’s statement, the court found the charge against Daud proved beyond reasonable doubt, the prosecutor said.