The infamous Catholic priest Robin Vadakkumchery was present at the Kerala High Court for a hearing. Sentenced to 20 years for raping and impregnating a minor girl, the priest expressed in court that he would like to marry her.
Catholic priest Robin Vadakkumchery offers to marry rape survivor
The priest was sentenced to 20 years in prison after raping a minor and impregnating her in 2019. Vadakkumchery was dismissed by the Vatican for his crime. He had raped a minor when she was 16. She had the child in 2017, following which investigation began. It was in 2018 that he was arrested for his crime.
While Robin was sentenced to 60 years under various punishments, the court allowed him 20 years in total. The case and the police report has been posted for the 24th of July.
The priest moved Kerala High Court seeking bail for two months. He told the court that he would like to marry the rape survivor and take care of her child. However, the court dismissed his plea, public prosecutor Suman Chakravarti said, "Every rape convict can then offer to marry the survivor, we cannot encourage such suggestions." Further, she asserted that it could be a way of getting a relaxation on the 20-year jail term.
During the trial in 2018, the survivor turned hostile in court when she had said she had attained the age of consent and was willing to marry Father Robin and take care of her child with him. However, the court took the evidence that pointed to her being a minor and the DNA samples of her child into consideration while pronouncing the verdict.
