Heinous crime: Court refuses bail to child abuse suspect

Shehzad Ahmad, the complainant, told the court that he had reached a settlement with the rape victim’s family.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Monday refused to grant bail to a man accused of raping a three-year-old girl.

The court had been informed by the girl’s father that he had reached a settlement with the suspect and had no objection to the bail. He also submitted an affidavit in this regard.

The petitioner, Khuram Shehzad, had filed the bail petition on the grounds that he had reached an agreement with the girl’s family and was thus entitled to bail.

However, the deputy district public prosecutor strongly opposed Shehzad’s bail request. He informed the court that the petitioner had been nominated in the FIR after he was caught red-handed; and that the medical report had concluded that the girl had been raped.

The judge observed that the suspect had been charged with non-compoundable offences.

“The age of the victim is three years. No settlement can be made on her behalf. The complainant and the prosecution witnesses caught the accused red-handed,” the judge noted.

“The medical evidence is available. The petition is dismissed,” the judge remarked.

Ali Ahmad, the girl’s father, had stated in the FIR registered with the Shahdara police that Shehzad, an acquaintance, had kidnapped the child and then taken her to his house on November 9, 2013. “When I went to Shehzad’s house along with some neighbours, we found him raping the girl,” he had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2014.