4 year old\'s eyewitness count results in conviction of his 3 yr old brother\'s killer

Hyderabad: The testimony of a four-and-a-half year old boy regarding the horrific assault on his three-year-old brother by their ‘Ravi mama’ led to the conviction of Musthala Ravi, their mother’s lover, for sodomising and murdering of the child.

The child recounted how ‘Ravi mama’ made him lie down in the hall, and took his brother into another room. “Ravi mama beat my brother in the stomach and back. He was lying down,” the four-year-old told the court.

He was cross-examined by the defence counsel, during which he said, “(a big policeman) told me to tell that Ravi Mama beat my brother.” T. Anitha, Judge, Special Fast Track Court for Pocso Act cases at Hyderabad, said that such stray admissions cannot get evidential value.

Together with the DNA report which showed that the three-year-old was sexually assaulted, and the post-mortem report, Judge Anitha sentenced Ravi to rigorous imprisonment for the rest of the natural life and a fine of Rs 5,000.

Ravi had an affair with the children’s mother, who was accused but was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Additional public prosecutor K. Prathap Reddy said that the court appreciated the evidence gathered by the police.

Musheerabad SHO E. Jahangeer Yadav, the investigating officer, said the two accused were in a relationship and wanted to elope. They picked the younger child as he was very close to the father. On the day, the mother took her husband out while Ravi brought the children home from school. Before murdering the three-year-old, he raped the child, beat him up, threw him to the ground and beat him with a pestle.

He told the parents that the boy had fallen from a chair. The post-mortem examination revealed the extent of murderous assault.