Kochi: A Christian priest was sent to judicial custody on Sunday for 14 days for allegedly sexually abusing young boys — inmates in a boy’s home here.
The accused, Fr George alias Fr Jerry Thareparambil (40) belonging to the Order of Discalced Carmelites (ODC), was arrested based on complaints of parents of the young boys, said an officer with the Palluruthy Police station.
On Saturday evening, a boy unable to bear the manner in which the accused was treating him, went outside the home and informed his parents. “Based on the complaints from the boy’s parents, the priest was picked up and his arrest was recorded on Sunday morning,” he said.
The young inmates for a while were under duress from the priest and apart from abuse, the boys complained that he was all the time angry and used to scold and at times even thrash them.
According to the complaints from the parents of seven boys, the priest who is director of a boy’s home had been abusing them for quite some time.
The police quickly acted and after recording his arrest earlier on Sunday produced him before a magistrate who remanded him to 14 days judicial custody. Father George was sent to the Mattancherry subjail.
The Catholic Church to which the accused is attached has started disciplinary procedures against him according to the Canon law.
The accused was booked under Section 377 (unnatural offence) of the IPC, Sections 7 (touch with sexual intent), 8 (sexual assault) and 9 D (assault by someone responsible for the protection of the child) read with 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Posco Act and Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Police said the accused had abused minor boys who were inmates of the boy’s home multiple times since December 2018. Police said they have collected a statement from one of the boys. Necessary procedures, including measure to record statement of the survivors under Section 164 of the CrPC, has been initiated, the police added.