COIMBATORE: A 55-year-old man attempted suicide by consuming poison inside the court after he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for raping a minor in Ooty on Monday.
The accused Gunasekaran alias Thamba, 55, a daily wager from Coonoor had raped 17-year-old school-going girl in March last year. The incident was known, when the girl informed her mother of severe stomach pain and was taken to Coonoor Government Hospital in December 2022.
As an examination revealed her to be pregnant, she was referred to Ooty GH, where she gave birth to a girl. Based on a complaint by victim’s mother, Coonoor AWPS police registered a case and nabbed the accused after investigation.
Following trial, Udhagamandalam judicial magistrate Sridharan ordered 20 years of imprisonment to Gunasekaran under the Pocso Act. Soon after the sentence, the convict was taken to the prisoner’s waiting room, where he consumed some poisonous substance after overpowering the cops.