JUDGMENT :

This Criminal Appeal has been filed against the Judgment dated 31.05.2017 in Spl.S.C.No. 33 of 2015 by the learned Sessions Judge, Mahila Court, Cuddalore.

2. The case of the prosecution is that at the time of the occurrence, the victim (P.W.2), who was aged about 14 years was residing at Karunghuli Village opposite to the house of the appellant. The appellant is a married man and his wife deserted him. The victim girl used to go to the house of the appellant to help his mother. One year before, when the victim girl went to the house of the appellant, the appellant had sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, whenever the victim girl went to the house of the appellant, he used to have sexual intercourse with her and threatened the victim girl to maintain secrecy in the name of honour of the family. Subsequently, she got pregnancy, the mother of the victim girl revealed the truth and thereafter, the (P.W.1) mother of the victim girl preferred a complaint to the respondent police.

3. The respondent police registered a case in Crime No.8 of 2015 for the offence punishable under Section 3 r/w 4 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 [hereafter 'POCSO Act' for t