Thane: A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has sentenced a 35-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the repeated sexual assault of a minor girl.

Sentencing Dhondiram Tukaram Bansode, Special Judge (POCSO) V A Patravale from the Kalyan court said that the testimony of a survivor in sexual offence cases carries significant weight and “inspires confidence” even in the absence of corroborative evidence.

A copy of the order dated January 31 was made available on Wednesday. Special public prosecutors Bhamre Patil and R R Bhoir examined 12 witnesses to prove the charges against the man.

According to the prosecution, Bansode had repeatedly sexually abused a Class 5 student in his neighbourhood till her family members learnt about the crime in 2016.

While the defence argued that the case was the fallout of a dispute between families and pointed to a three-day delay in filing the police complaint, the court accepted the prosecution’s explanation that the girl’s kin initially feared social discrimination.

“The testimony of the victim in such cases is vital and unless there are compelling reasons which necessitate looking for corroboration of her statement, the courts should find no difficulty to act on the testimony of a victim of sexual assault alone to convict an accused where her testimony inspires confidence and is found to be reliable,” the court said in its order.

The court said the survivor clearly articulated the assault once she took her time.

Besides handing the convict a 10-year prison term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 12,000. The judge said that the survivor is entitled to compensation under the government’s compensation scheme in such matters.