Kozhikode (Kerala) | A court here on Thursday sentenced a 25-year-old man to a cumulative 58 years' imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 11-year-old girl back between 2020 and 2021 at her home in this north Kerala district.

The Nadapuram Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) Judge Suhaib M sentenced the accused to varying durations of punishments for separate offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IPC for a total of 58 years, Public Prosecutor Manoj Aroor said.

However, as the sentences are to be served concurrently and the highest of the jail terms given to the man is 20 years, he will serve 20 years in prison, Aroor said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the convict, the prosecutor said.

The convict was sent to the central prison at Thavanur in Malappuram district of the state, he said.

According to the prosecutor, the accused made overtures of affection towards the girl and raped her several times between October 2020 to February 2021 when no one was home.

The assault came to light after she disclosed what happened to her when she was housed in a children's home in Kozhikode.

Subsequently, the police registered a case, launched an investigation and arrested the accused, the prosecutor said.