MADURAI: A 23-year-old youth in Theni on Tuesday evening was convicted by a special court sealing with same sex offence and was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 21 years.

According to the prosecution, Vijay from Samandipuram village near Cumbum in Theni district forcibly took a 15-year old boy of the same locality on a bicycle to a remote area near Manjakulam and committed homosexual offence.

The victim was hurt on his nose when he tried to protect himself.

The incident occurred on September 20 in 2019 and based on a complaint, Cumbum South police filed a case against Vijay under Section 4 of Pocso Act and Sections 323 and 506 (ii) of IPC on September 22. The accused was arrested on September 24, 2019.

The investigation officer then filed a charge sheet of the case before the court on October 5, 2019. Judge P Ganesan after examining witnesses found him guilty of such a crime and pronounced the sentence to run concurrently. Besides, a fine of Rs 21,000 was also imposed on the accused, sources said.