A court in Narayanganj’s Bandar has sentenced a 45-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a 10-year-old child.

The verdict was delivered on Tuesday afternoon, 29 September, by Md Mominur Islam, judge of the Child Violence Suppression Tribunal. The accused, Md Monir Hossain, was present in court when the sentence was announced, said Abdus Samad, an inspector with the court police.

Hossain, son of the late Afsar Uddin, is from the Kuripara area of Bandar upazila. Alongside the life sentence, the court fined him Tk5,000. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional two months of hard imprisonment, according to the court police.

The case dates back to 18 July 2022. According to the case documents, the child was raped at her home at around 9.30am that day. Following the incident, the child’s mother filed a case with Bandar Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

Police subsequently began an investigation into the allegation. Investigators collected relevant information and examined the circumstances surrounding the incident before completing the investigation. On 12 March 2023, police submitted a charge sheet to the court naming Monir Hossain as the accused.

The case then proceeded through the judicial process. Evidence and other materials presented during the proceedings were considered by the tribunal before the verdict was delivered on Tuesday.

The sentence brings the trial at the tribunal level to a conclusion after more than four years since the alleged incident. The case involved an offence against a child, making the proceedings subject to the legal framework governing violence and sexual offences against women and children.

Under such cases, the investigation and judicial process can involve witness testimony, documentary evidence and other relevant materials placed before the court. The court determines criminal responsibility based on the evidence presented during the proceedings.

The victim’s identity has not been disclosed, in keeping with the need to protect the privacy of children involved in sexual offence cases. Such protection is particularly significant where disclosure could expose a child to further distress or social consequences.

The court’s order includes both imprisonment and a financial penalty. Hossain must serve the life sentence imposed by the tribunal and pay the Tk5,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine will result in the additional two-month term of hard imprisonment specified in the judgment.

The case was initiated by the child’s mother in July 2022, while the police submitted the charge sheet in March 2023. The verdict was subsequently delivered after the case went through the judicial proceedings before the tribunal.

As with other criminal cases, the accused has legal avenues to challenge the judgment before a higher court in accordance with the applicable law.