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Kerala Catholic Father sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping minor


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The girl’s father and mother made shocking claims throughout the trial.

 

 

An Indian court has convicted a senior Catholic priest of raping a minor and sentenced him to 20 years in jail, the latest sexual assault scandal involving the Church in southern Kerala state.

Robin Vadakkumchery was found guilty on Saturday of raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl, with the crime only coming to light after the victim gave birth to a baby in a surprise delivery in February 2017.

Citing a lack of evidence, the court acquitted four nuns, a priest and an orphanage employee who had been accused of trying to cover up the crime and shield the influential Vadakkumchery.

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Indian police officials escort priest Robin Vadakkumchery ©, a senior Catholic priest convicted of raping a minor and sentenced him to 20 years in jail. Source: AFP

 

After a child rights charity reported the secret delivery to the police, leading to the priest’s arrest at Kochi airport as he attempted to board a plane to Canada, many of the main witnesses in the case turned hostile.

“Almost all the independent witnesses proved non-cooperative, making it difficult for us to provide substantive evidence against all that the defence threw at us,†Inspector Sunil Kumar, who investigated the case, told AFP.

 

In the initial stages of the trial, the girl’s father had told the court that he was guilty of raping and impregnating his own daughter.

Her mother also claimed the girl was older than 18 when the crime occurred.

His daughter told the court that the relationship was consensual and said she had been an adult at the time.

 

Sex — whether consensual or otherwise — with a person below 18 years of age is considered rape under India’s stringent child protection laws.

 

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Indian police officials escort priest Robin Vadakkumchery ©, guilty of raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl who became pregnant and gave birth to a baby. Source: AFP

 

Only the doctor’s official record of when the baby was born could prove that the girl had been a minor at the time of delivery, said Kumar.

“Luckily for us, the doctor who delivered the baby … stood his ground, so we could prove without doubt that the victim was a minor at the time,†he said.

The victim had been a student at a Church-run school which came under Vadakkumchery’s jurisdiction.

 

Saturday’s verdict followed a raft of allegations against senior Church figures in Kerala, including a bishop, Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun 13 times over two years. He denies the charges.

Sister Lucy Kalappurakkal, who has faced disciplinary action for supporting protests demanding action against Mulakkal, lauded the verdict, "It will work as a deterrent against such offenders. Rather than covering up such heinous crimes, (the) Church should expose such elements,†she told the Hindustan Times.

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There has been an epidemic of rapes of underage girls in India in recent years, sparking protests and some legislative changes. Source: AFP

 

 

 

+ Added to show the Catholic Church's actual feelings on sexual violence on vulnerable women and children. The given article is from 2017                                                                                                                                  

'Kerala priest raped, because temptations', church-backed magazine resorts to victim blaming

"Consumerism and temptations" are the reasons why a 16-year-old girl from Kerala got raped. As much absurd this sounds, these are the reasons given by a magazine backed by a Catholic Sabha, resorting to openly blaming and shaming the rape survivor, a minor.

People behind the magazine forgot she DID NOT ASK FOR IT and NO-ONE ASKS FOR IT.

Father Robin or Mathew Vadakkancheril of St Sebastian church in Kannur, Kerala was accused of raping and impregnating a minor. He fled the scene, but was arrested for the heinous crime.

The minor was raped several times before she got pregnant. After she delivered the child at a private hospital, the newborn was taken to an orphanage without informing the girl.

But Sunday Shalom, a Christian weekly, said that the rape could have been stopped by the minor. The weekly said, "Here, the girl is above the age of 15. Let me tell you this, as I consider you like my daughter - you are also at fault. Before the Lord, it is you who will have to answer first. Daughter, why did you forget who a priest is? He has a human body and has temptations. He may have forgotten his position for a few seconds, my child who has taken the Holy Communion, why didn't you stop or correct him?"

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"Here, the girl is above the age of 15. Let me tell you this, as I consider you like my daughter - you are also at fault. Before the Lord, it is you who will have to answer first. Daughter, why did you forget who a priest is? He has a human body and has temptations. He may have forgotten his position for a few seconds, my child who has taken the Holy Communion, why didn't you stop or correct him?"

 

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What the hell? How dare they blame her? That magazine deserves to be shut down. And i bet you priest robin paid or threatened her and her family to retract their statements.

Not all priests are bad. There are many who are good but this man is vile.

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