Mumbai, Apr 10 (PTI) A special court here sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor boy, observing that the peaceful memory of childhood is disturbed by such dirty experiences.

Also Read | Ramadan 2023 Time Table: Sehri and Iftar Timings for 19th Roza of Ramzan on April 11 in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Other Cities of India.

Special Judge Priti Kumar (Ghule) had convicted the accused of charges under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on April 3.

The victim, who was 11 years old at the time of the incident in 2019, deposed before the court that he had gone to a park near his house when the accused forcibly took him to an autorickshaw on the pretext of giving him chocolate and showing a mobile phone.

Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine Covovax As Heterologous Booster Dose To Be Available on CoWIN Soon, Check Price Here.

According to the prosecution, the accused had committed similar acts with other children as well.

The court, in its order, noted that children were vulnerable and easily went to the accused, as they were lured by mobile phones and chocolates.

The child had remained quiet for a long period of time and only when his parents questioned him, he informed them about the incident, the court said, adding it did not find it a “concocted story”.

The child was going to see a mobile phone without his mother's permission, which is why he must have not disclosed the act to the mother, the court noted.

The child has undergone mental trauma due to the sexual offence, it said.

“The peaceful memory of childhood is disturbed by such dirty experiences because of the accused. It definitely will affect the overall development of the child,” the court observed.

The court, while convicting the accused, also recommended compensation to the child from various schemes of the District Legal Service Authorities (DLSA).

(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)