Teen Who Raped, Beheaded 8-Year-Old Girl Gets Life Sentence Years After Crime

A man was sentenced to life imprisonment after he raped and beheaded an 8-year-old girl in India's Uttar Pradesh state five years ago.

The special Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) court in Bareilly also slapped the man, identified as Pravesh Kumar, with a fine of Rs 3.5 lakh ($4,700) Saturday, Indian newspaper The Tribune reported.

Half of the fine will be given to the victim's family, additional district government counsel (ADGC) Reetram Rajput was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The case was rare, and Kumar, who was 19 years old at the time of the incident, was expected to receive the death penalty, according to the official.

Kumar’s victim belonged to a family of farmers in Bareilly district's Bithri Chainpur area and disappeared five years ago when she went out to play with her friends after school. Her body was found buried in a cane field, with part of her foot partially visible from the soil, as per the Times of India.

The then-teenager had repeatedly punched the girl in her mouth and face before raping her while she was in an unconscious and battered condition, according to the outlet. He then used a sharp knife to behead the girl and buried her in a shallow grave.

Police had caught Kumar red-handed when the murder weapon and bloodstained clothes were found in his house, Rajput said. He added that sperm stains were also found on the recovered clothes, which were verified during forensic tests.

"We had enough circumstantial evidence to prove that the minor was last seen with Pravesh, and his self-confession of the crime was also considered by [the judge]," Rajput explained.

"Fifteen witnesses were presented before the court," he added.

Pravesh had been found guilty under sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural offenses) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as offenses under the POSCO Act, according to the government counsel.

In accordance with the Supreme Court's directives on cases related to sexual assault, the victim's identity was not revealed to protect her privacy.