A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Pune on June 4 sentenced a 38-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in 2022.Man gets 20 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting 10-year-oldWhile convicting the accused, Special POCSO Judge SR Salunkhe rejected the defence’s claim that he had been falsely implicated due to a parking dispute with the survivor’s father.In the order, the judge stated that the accused, Sameer Yakub Shaikh, was convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 376, 376-AB and 342, along with Sections 4, 6, 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act.According to the prosecution, the survivor’s younger sister was playing in front of their house in the morning. When she went out of sight, the 10-year-old victim went looking for her.The accused lured the victim by giving her money and asking her to fetch a pack of playing cards from a nearby shop. When the victim returned to deliver the cards, the accused forcefully pulled her inside his house, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her.The girl escaped after the accused went into the kitchen, opened the door and ran home. After learning about the incident, her mother lodged a complaint with Kondhwa police, following which API Sandeep Madhale investigated the case and filed the chargesheet.Special Public Prosecutor Anilkumar Varma argued that the prosecution had established the accused’s guilt through convincing evidence.​​Advocate MM Burande, appearing for the accused, submitted that, considering the accused’s age and the circumstances of the offence, the court should adopt a reformative approach and corrective measures while determining the sentence.