Thiruvananthapuram: A cricket coach has been sentenced to 48 years in prison and fined ₹79,000 for sexually assaulting a student. Judge Anju Meera Birla of a special fast-track court in Thiruvananthapuram pronounced the sentence after finding the accused, Manu M. (40), a native of Vallakadavu, Srivaraham, guilty in a third case.
The court has also convicted the accused in a fourth case, with the sentencing scheduled for Monday.
Furthermore, the court clarified that this 48-year sentence will run consecutively, beginning only after he completes his prison terms for the first two cases. The court accepted the prosecution's argument under Section 427 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, ruling that the sentences for each case must be served separately.
The victim first came under the coach's tutelage for cricket training in 2018 while studying in the fifth grade. According to the case details, the accused used the guise of training to take the child to the nets, the gym, and various restrooms, where he sexually assaulted him. The investigation also revealed that the accused took nude photographs and videos of the child during these instances. The harassment reportedly continued at a practice net set up at the coach's home.
The child kept the abuse a secret for years because the coach threatened to ruin his cricketing future. Unable to bear the ongoing harassment, the victim finally stopped training in 2021 and relocated.
The victim eventually revealed the abuse after crossing paths with the accused again at a girls' cricket tournament in Thiruvananthapuram on March 28, 2024. Following his disclosure, several other children came forward with similar complaints against the coach.