Court finds cricket coach guilty in second abuse case

The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court on Monday found a cricket coach guilty in a second case involving the sexual abuse of a female student who came for cricket coaching.

Special Judge Anju Meera Birla declared the accused, Manu M., 40, of Sreevaraham, as guilty in the particular case. The court also found him guilty of attempted rape. The sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday.

A total of six cases were registered against the accused under similar circumstances. The trials for four of the cases have been completed. The court had convicted and sentenced the accused in a case last month.

According to the prosecution led by Special Public Prosecutor R.S. Vijay Mohan, the incidents related to the particular case had taken place in 2018 after the survivor joined a cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram. After the initial few days, the accused sexually abused the girl by taking her to the centre’s gym and bathrooms under the pretext of training.

Besides, the accused took nude photographs and videos of the girl. He also threatened a survivor from another case to record a nude video of the survivor in this case. When the girl refused to comply with his demands, the accused stopped giving her proper coaching. Consequently, she left for another coaching centre in 2019. Fearing his threats that her cricket future would be ruined if she spoke out, she did not reveal the abuse to anyone.

The accused abused five other girls who sought coaching. Distressed by the abuse, they also moved to other training centres and remained silent out of fear.

The abuse finally came to light in 2024 during a girls’ cricket tournament held in Thiruvananthapuram. One of the victims saw the accused after years, panicked and cried uncontrollably. Following her complaint, the other girls gained the courage to file cases.