Idukki (Ker), May 12 (PTI) A POCSO special court on Thursday sentenced a man to 21 years in prison for sexually assaulting his live-in-partner's four-year-old boy in Thodupuzha in the district, three years ago.

The court also fined convict Arun Anand a total of Rs 3,81,000. Anand is an accused in the brutal killing of the boy's seven-year-old brother in Thodupuzha in 2019. The special court sentenced the man to 19 years Rigorous Imprisonment and two years simple imprisonment for various offences under the POCSO Act. Anand's role in the sexual abuse of the young boy came to light during the police investigation into the brutal killing of the his elder brother. He is facing trial in the case of killing the seven-year-old boy. Anand, 36, was arrested soon after the incident that rocked the southern state three years ago. He had been charged under Section 302 of the IPC (Punishment for murder), 303 (attempt to murder) and the Juvenile Justice Act. The incident occurred in Thodupuzha area of Idukki district on March 28, 2019. The accused had allegedly kicked and beaten the victim's four-year-old brother as a punishment for bedwetting at 3 am. When the seven-year-old tried to protect his younger brother, Anand allegedly hurled the child on the ground, smashed his head against a wardrobe and used a walking stick to beat him up.

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The boy had suffered skull fracture, internal bleeding and lung injury, besides cuts and bruises all over his body. Anand, the live-in partner of the woman, was arrested immediately after the incident. The woman's husband passed away 10 months ago after which Anand had been staying with the family.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)