T’puram: A fast track special court on Friday sentenced cricket coach Manu M (40) of Vallakadavu, to 48 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 79,000 in the third case registered against him for sexually assaulting a minor student. The court also found him guilty in the fourth case, with the sentence to be pronounced on Monday.Judge Anju Meera Birla directed that the sentence in the present case would commence only after the completion of the punishment awarded in the earlier cases.According to the prosecution, the victim, then a Class V student, had joined a prominent cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram in 2018. The accused allegedly subjected the child to repeated sexual abuse during the course of coaching and private training sessions over a prolonged period.The survivor remained silent for years due to threats and fear. The child later shifted to another coaching centre. The abuse came to light in 2024 when the survivor disclosed the incidents to family members following emotional distress triggered by an encounter with the accused.The complaint encouraged other victims to come forward, leading to the registration of six cases against the coach. Trials in four cases have been completed and the accused has already been convicted in three of them.Special public prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan, along with advocates Surabhi P and H Ravishankar Thampi, appeared for the prosecution. Cantonment police inspector S Jayakrishnan, SI Vishnu Sajeev and Prajeesh Sasi probed the case.
