India, March 23 -- A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act court sentenced a 51-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping and threatening a 12-year-old girl of physical harm. Both the accused and the survivor are from the same neighbourhood in Goregaon.

As per the prosecution, the accused had raped the minor on multiple occasions and had even beaten her up at his home, in 2015. The incident came to light on August 16 of the same year, when the girl and her mother were out on a walk and saw their neighbour on the way. The girl made a sign of slap when he asked her to come near him. Finding it strange, the mother enquired with the girl, who then revealed to her that the man had raped her seven times in the past...