Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) | A special POCSO court has awarded four death sentences to a 47-year-old preacher allegedly for sexually assaulting four minor girls.

Preacher S Abraham, against whom the Tirunelveli Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court sentenced, ran a Christian prayer church at Mela Ilanthaikulam near Gangaikondan Thevarkulam in the district.

The victims, aged, 8, 12 and 13, were lured onto the premises under the guise of conducting moral science and Bible classes during their school vacation and after committing the crime, he had threatened the four girls of dire consequences if they revealed the abuse, according to the prosecution.

He was arrested on July 5, 2022, following complaints by the victims' parents with the Tirunelveli Rural All Women Police.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, Special Court Judge K Suresh Kumar pronounced the capital punishment after finding the suspect "guilty beyond reasonable doubt" and classified the offence under the "rarest of rare" category.

The judge awarded four death sentences - one count for each victim- and a cumulative fine of Rs 52,000, observing that Abraham preyed on the very children he was expected to guide and showed no genuine remorse.

The court directed the Tamil Nadu government to compensate the four survivors with a relief of Rs 10 lakh each.