Kerala Ex Priest Convicted For Raping A Minor Girl Offers To Marry The Survivor

Kerala based Ex Catholic priest Robin Vadakkumchery who was convicted of raping a minor and impregnating her last year has now moved Kerala High Court seeking permission to marry the girl. In an outrageous offer, he proposed to not only marry the survivor but also to take care of the child born to her. He filed a plea in the Kerala High Court for the same. The survivor and her parents have also signed the plea, Hindustan Times reported. The prosecution has, however, denied his offer, citing that this might only be a ploy to get relaxation in the 20-year-old jail period.

The Case

The accused was serving as the manager of a Church-backed school in Kannur, where he raped a class 11 girl, who was 16 years old then. He was then dismissed from the priesthood by the Vatican and a child line agency filed a complaint against him. The survivor gave birth to a child in February 2017, The News Minute reported. As per the reports the accused has such a deep influence on the survivor's family, that in the initial phase of the investigation, the minor girl's father took the blame upon himself.

He was then arrested on February 27, 2018. Now, two years after getting arrested and sentenced to 20-years in jail, he has come up with this outrageous offer. Reportedly, the 52-year-old rape accused also told the court that the girl was ready to marry him.

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The Survivor Accepted To Marry The Accused

The survivor, who turned an adult in February 2018 accepted to marry the accused and to bring up the child with him. However, the prosecution said that this might just be a ploy by the rapist to get a relaxation in his 20-years jail term.  "Every rape convict can then offer to marry the survivor, we cannot encourage such suggestions," Suman Chakravarti, the Public Prosecutor, told The News Minute.

Notably, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison under different sections by Thalassery POCSO court on February 17, 2019. But later, he was allowed to serve three terms together and hence the duration of his sentence was reduced to 20 years. The court has now sought a police report and the next hearing is due July 24.

Picture Credit- Deccan Chronicle

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