Holding the testimony of a minor boy trustworthy, a special court in Thane has convicted a man under provisions of the POCSO Act for sexual assault and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment of five years, reported news agency PTI.

The special Judge DS Deshmukh also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Ravikumar Rohidas, which will be paid to the survivor as compensation. Rohidas was, however, acquitted of the charges related to carnal intercourse against the order of nature (IPC section 377) and aggravated penetrative sexual assault (section 5-m punishable under section 6 of the POCSO Act). The order was passed on July 19, a copy of which became available on Wednesday.

The prosecution argued that Rohidas, then 24 years old, allegedly lured the five-year-old boy with chocolates to accompany him on May 13, 2022. The child returned home injured the next day, recounting that Rohidas took him to a creek, assaulted him with a stone on his cheek, threatened him, removed his clothes, and touched his private parts with sexual intent, reported PTI.