Thiruvananthapuram: An additional sessions court on Saturday sentenced a former temple priest to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2019 under the guise of performing rituals to ward off evil spirits.Judge Shibu M P also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh to the convict Binesh, 45, a native of Ernakulam. According to police, the survivor’s mother had approached Binesh seeking a ritual to alleviate her daughter’s exam anxiety. The accused convinced the mother that the child was possessed by an evil spirit and required special rituals. He then took the girl to the temple’s pooja room on multiple occasions and sexually assaulted her there using wooden dolls. The crime came to light when the girl confided in a doctor during a mental health camp. Acting on the information, then Thiruvallam SI K L Sampath raided the pooja room and seized 51 wooden dolls. Prosecution was led by public prosecutor Kattaikonam J K Ajith Prasa.
