Mangaluru: Convict sentenced to 10-year jail in sexual assault case

Team Udayavani, Jan 11, 2025, 8:54 AM IST

In a landmark judgment, the 6th Additional District and Sessions Court held an accused guilty of drugging and raping a woman at a party and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.

The convict has been identified as Brian Richard Amanna (34), a resident of Lighthouse Hill Road, Hampankatte.

The survivor, introduced to Brian through Joylin G Pinto, a mutual acquaintance working in the Navy, attended a farewell party on February 5, 2021. Joylin’s friends organized the party at a house in Kodikad village, Puttur taluk, as he was transferred to the Andaman Islands.

At the party, Brian, who handled catering, introduced himself as Joylin’s friend and allegedly spiked the survivor’s wine with an intoxicant. Later, Joylin and another friend, Rebecca, showed the survivor a room to rest. After some casual conversation, the survivor fell asleep.

She awoke briefly at 2 AM to find Joylin and Rebecca absent from the room and dozed off again. At 5 AM, she woke up to discover Brian assaulting her.

Legal Proceedings

A case was filed at the Puttur Women’s Police Station, and the investigation, led by then-Inspector Timmappa Naik, resulted in a chargesheet against Brian.

During the trial, Judge Kantaraju S.V. of the 6th Additional District and Sessions Court found Brian guilty under Sections 376 (rape) and 328 (causing hurt using poison, etc.) of the Indian Penal Code. Under Section 376, the accused was ordered to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000, and under Section 328, he was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000.

The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide suitable compensation to the survivor.

Public prosecutors B. Shekhar Shetty and Chowdhury Mothilal represented the state, handling various aspects of the evidence examination.