Kerala Christian Priest Arrested for Molesting 11-year-old Boy

Times of India
January 2, 2017

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/kerala-christian-priest-arrested-for-molesting-11-year-old-boy/articleshow/56286415.cms

KOCHI: A Malayali couple settled in Haryana admitted their son in a boarding school near Moovattupuzha to get him acquainted with the culture of Kerala, police said on Sunday, after arresting the school principal on complaints of sexually abusing the boy.

Identifying the accused as Fr Basil Kuriakose, police said the 65-year-old abused the 11-year-old boy in the school dormitory on night of December 21. The incident happened when the other residents were on vacation.

"The accused stripped the boy before molesting him. He also tried to sodomise him," police said.

The school was run by a private charitable trust, police said. The accused joined the institution after retiring from an aided school.

The priest denied charges of sexual assault, sub-inspector T Dileesh said. The accused, however, admitted in a statement that he had been with the boy on the date mentioned in the complaint.

The alleged abuse came to light when the boy returned to his residence in Kottayam on December 23, and reportedly narrated the incident to his elder brother.

The boy's brother informed his mother, who returned home from her workplace in Haryana.

The police recorded his statement, and registered a case under Section 377 and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.