13 sentenced to 10 yrs in jail over Noakhali woman assault

A court in Noakhali on Tuesday sentenced all 13 accused to 10 years' imprisonment in a case filed over rape and assault of a woman in the district's Begumganj upazila last year.

The convicts were also fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, they will have to suffer three months more in prison.

The district's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Jaynal Abedin pronounced the verdict in presence of the nine convicts.

The convicts are Noor Hossain Badal, Abdur Rahim, Abul Kalam, Israfil Hossain Miah, Moyeen Uddin Sazu, Shamsuddin Sumon, Noor Hossain Russel, Anwar Hossain Sohag, Abdur Rob Chowdhury, Mostafizur Rahman Arif, Jamal Uddin, Mizanur Rahman Tareq and Delwar Hossain.

Of them, Abdur Rob, Mostafizur, Jamal and Mizanur are absconding.

Earlier, the nine accused were produced in the court around 11:50am amid strong security measures.

On March 24, the same court farmed charges against the 13 persons in the case.

Miscreants assaulted the housewife after stripping her off in her house at Ekhlaspur under Begumganj upazila in Noakhali district on September 2. They tied her husband before torturing her.

The criminals also filmed the act in a mobile phone and circulated it on the social media that sparked national outcry.

The victim filed two cases 33 days after the incident accusing nine people on October 4.

One case was filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the other under the Pornography Control Act.