The Thimphu District Court has sentenced a Vice Principal of a charity school in Thimphu to 10 years in prison for child molestation and attempted rape of a child above 12 years of age.
The sentence is non-compoundable, meaning the convict cannot pay in lieu of the prison term.
The district court’s Family and Child Bench passed its judgement on the case yesterday.
The 39-year-old convict had molested nine girl students aged between 10 and 14 since 2017.
According to the judgement, the convict molested the students in the class. He taught mathematics to them.
The judgement states the convict had even attempted to rape one of the victims after calling her to his office after school hours.
The convict denied all allegations, but the court ruled him guilty based on evidence, including statements by student witnesses and site investigation findings.
The convict, however, doesn’t have to pay compensation to the victims.
The court said the parents of the victims did not claim compensation. The victims are also reported to have not been traumatized or injured by the incidents as per school authorities.
The case surfaced after one of the victims visited Gidagom hospital in March. The convict was subsequently arrested in April.
He has 10 working days to appeal to a higher court if unhappy with the district court’s judgement.
