Minor at the time of crime, youth gets 10-year detention for raping teen in Ctg

A Chattogram court has sentenced a youth to 10 years' detention for raping a 14-year-old girl in Fatikchhari upazila in 2021, as the convict was a minor at the time of the crime.

Judge Mohammad Saifur Rahman of the Chattogram Child Court-2 and District and Sessions Judge pronounced the verdict yesterday (30 June).

According to court sources, a neighbouring teenager allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl, an eighth-grade student, in her own house at knifepoint in Fatikchhari in 2021.

Since the accused was under 18 years of age at the time of the incident, he was considered a child under the Children Act, 2013.

The rape resulted in the survivor becoming pregnant. She later gave birth to a son, who died at around one-and-a-half years of age.

During the trial, DNA tests conducted by the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory at Dhaka Medical College confirmed the accused was the biological father of the victim's child.

The court observed that although the offence was grave, the accused was a minor at the time. Under Section 34(1) of the Children Act, 2013, a minor convicted of an offence punishable by death or life imprisonment can be detained for three to 10 years.

As the convict has since reached adulthood, the court ordered his transfer to Chattogram Central Jail and directed authorities to keep him in a separate ward.

It also ruled that the child born from the rape must be legally recognised as his child under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.

The court said it had no authority to fix maintenance, as the amount must be determined by the government under the law.

It directed the Deputy Commissioner to coordinate with relevant authorities to assess, recover and ensure payment of the maintenance to the survivor.