Delhi: Rape accused plays video of victim's police statement in court

Delhi: An under trial in Delhi tried to obtain bail in a gangrape case by playing a video of his 15-year-old victim’s statement to the police during a hearing at a special POCSO court, prompting questions about the protection of victim and leak of “confidential evidence”.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the lawyer of the accused told a Tis Hazari court that he found the video on YouTube.

“Astonishingly, it is a matter of great concern and requires a probe as to how the video of the victim got uploaded on YouTube. The investigation agency may also look into the issue as it has the potential to frustrate the whole object of protection of victim as emphasised in POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) and such legislation,” Additional Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav said.

By playing the video in the court, the accused claimed innocence on the grounds that the girl did not reflect his “complicity” in the alleged crime. The accused is the manager of a hotel, where the minor girl was gangraped by three men on November 3.

The judge, however, rejected his plea, stating that the “explanation nowhere appeals to logic or reason that a hotel manager would not be aware of what is happening in the hotel… it is unbelievable that accused persons would go with a girl, find their way to a particular room, commit the offence by remaining there for considerable time without the connivance of the hotel manager.”