Surat: A convict already serving a 20-year sentence for raping a minor has been ordered to spend another 20 years behind bars after a Surat court found him guilty of raping a five-year-old girl while out on parole.The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act court directed that the two sentences run consecutively, taking his total jail term to 40 years.The court sentenced 26-year-old Jamil Pathan to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping a five-year-old girl while he was out on parole from jail.The court ordered that the sentence run consecutively with an earlier 20-year term that Pathan is already serving in a separate case involving the rape of a minor under the jurisdiction of Lalgate police station.According to the prosecution, Pathan had abducted and raped a girl in 2021 in the Lalgate police station area. He was convicted in that case and sentenced to 20 years in jail.While serving that sentence, he was released on parole in Nov 2024. During the parole period, he allegedly abducted a five-year-old girl who was sleeping beside her parents with the intention of sexually assaulting her.As he fled with the child, he fell, causing the girl to cry and alert local residents. Before he was apprehended, he sexually assaulted the child. Locals caught him and handed him over to the police.On Thursday, the court found him guilty and imposed a fresh 20-year prison term. The court also directed that compensation be paid to the victim.
