Convicted of the sexual assault and murder of a four-year-old girl, a man attempted to commit suicide in the premises of the Ernakulam court, the police said.
The incident took place on January 10, when the court was to pronounce its verdict in the case. Renjith, one of the prime accused in the case, was out on bail and presented himself in court on the day.
The police claim that when Renjith realised that he would be convicted, he consumed poison in the court premises. However, the police also claim that the effects were only felt in the evening, when Renjith was in police custody.
“This incident took place on January 10. The court was to declare the verdict. He was out on bail and had appeared in front of the court around 10 am. He attempted to commit suicide within the court premises”, said Vigeesh KS, Assistant Prison Commissioner, Ernakulam.
In the evening, Renjith expressed physical discomfort and was taken to the Ernakulam General Hospital, and was later transferred to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital.
“By evening, the convict started vomiting and showed other signs of illness. We immediately took him to the general hospital for urgent medical assistance and was later referred to the Kottayam Medical Hospital,” said Vigeesh.
The court was initially supposed to pronounce the sentence on Friday, but will now do so on January 15.
“Hospital authorities have said that the convict is reportedly out of danger and the case has now been adjourned to January 15,” Vigeesh added.
The case
The four-year-old girl was murdered in October 2013. On Wednesday, the verdict was announced. The girl’s mother, her lover and his aid were found guilty and charged under the provisions of the POCSO Act.
The girl and her mother were residing in a rented house in Chottanikkara, Kerala. The girl’s mother had an affair with Renjith while her husband was in jail, and the three convicts had plotted the girl’s murder as she was a hurdle in the relationship, reported Manorama.
The mother reported that her child was missing, after which the police began their investigation. The police officials recovered the girl’s body from a construction site, and the murder was unearthed because of inconsistencies in the mother’s statement. As per the post-mortem report, Renjith and his aid had also sexually abused the child, Manorama reported.