Watchman gets 30 years in jail for raping 4-yr-old

Rajkot: A special POCSO Court in Jamnagar sentenced Sarjan Vishwakarma, a 35-year-old watchman, to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for the abduction and rape of a four-year-old girl in January 2023. The court also ordered the state government to provide compensation to the young survivor under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme 2019.
During the sentencing, Additional District Judge and Special POCSO Judge Madhvi Bhatt emphasized the severity of the crime, stating that “the accused had breached the trust of the little girl who saw him as an uncle”.Vishwakarma received a five-year rigorous imprisonment term and a Rs 1,000 fine under IPC section 363, along with a 30-year rigorous imprisonment term and a Rs 5,000 fine under POCSO Act section 4(2) of 2012. The sentences will run concurrently, according to public prosecutor J K Bhandari.
The incident occurred on January 1, 2023, when Vishwakarma enticed the girl with chocolates and took her to a secluded area near Neelkamal Society, where he sexually assaulted her, causing injuries to her private parts. After committing the crime, he left the girl on the road and fled the scene. The girl returned home in tears and informed her mother, leading to her father filing a complaint with the Jamnagar C Division police station. The police registered a case under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act, and during the investigation, crucial evidence was collected, including the girl's statement, medical samples, and CCTV footage showing the accused with the girl.
In court, Vishwakarma claimed innocence and alleged that the evidence against him was fabricated. However, the prosecution argued that the CCTV footage and the testimony of the survivor, her parents, and all witnesses supported the facts of the case. During the sentencing hearing, which the accused attended via video conference from Jamnagar district jail, he pleaded for leniency, citing his responsibility for four daughters and claiming to have been intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The court considered the girl's young age and the breach of trust by the accused, whom she saw as an uncle. Taking into account the accused's age, family responsibilities, and socio-economic status, the court imposed an appropriate sentence. Investigating officer P L Vaghela noted that both the victim's father and the accused worked as watchmen, and the police had collected electronic evidence and other relevant documents, filing the chargesheet within five days of registering the case.