A special court in Tirunelveli has imposed the death penalty on a 50-year-old Christian preacher instructor convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of four underage girls, an offense that occurred in 2022, as reported in The Hindu.
The convict, identified as S. Abraham, operated a prayer facility in the Mela Ilanthaikulam area, located near Thevarkulam within the district. Court records show that Abraham exploited his position to gain the trust of the victims, conducting what he presented as moral education sessions for the children during their school break. It was during these ostensibly educational gatherings that the assaults took place.
The abuse came to light when the four survivors disclosed their ordeal to their families. Following these reports, formal complaints were lodged with the Thevarkulam police, leading to Abraham’s arrest on 5 July 2022.
Presiding over the case under the stringent provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Special Court Magistrate Suresh Kumar delivered the verdict on Thursday, 20 August 2026, ruling that the evidence warranted the capital punishment.
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