A court in Ernakulam on Thursday handed out a double life term to a Catholic priest for raping a minor girl.

The Latin Catholic priest Edwin Figarez on a few occasions in 2015, starting from January till March, had exploited the minor girl, who was also a member of the same parish where the priest served as the Vicar. The Ernakulam special court on Thursday found the priest guilty and handed him a double life term and also asked him to pay a fine of Rs 2.15 lakh.

The other convicts in the case are the priests’ relatives viz. Bengaren Figarez, Stanly Figerez, Dr Ajitha, who helped the priest in hiding the crime by not informing the police and Clarenz Decotha, a staff at the primary health centre in Puthenvelikkara, Kochi.

The mother of the victim, a Class 9 student, lodged a complaint against Figarez - a priest with the Lourdes Matha Church, Puthenvelikkara, on April 1 following which the priest went into hiding and was arrested later.

The priest sexually assaulted the victim when she went to him for confession.