Man sentenced to death for raping stepdaughter

A court in Islamabad has sentenced Iftikhar Ahmed Khan to death for repeatedly raping his stepdaughter over approximately a year, resulting in the birth of a child.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million and ordered him to pay Rs1 million in compensation to the victim and Rs2 million to the child born as a result of the assault.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Sohail, who presides over a court established to hear gender-based violence cases, issued the written judgment, convicting Khan under Section 376(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The court held that the DNA report, the victim's testimony and other evidence supported the prosecution's case. According to the judgment, the DNA report established a 99.9999996 per cent probability that the convict was the child's father.

The court observed that the victim's testimony was corroborated by medical evidence and the DNA report, while the evidence presented by the prosecution was credible.

The convict had denied having sexual relations with the victim.