A Dhaka tribunal has sentenced a tutor, Jahidul Islam, 30, to death for raping his seven-year-old student in the capital’s Banasri area in 2021.

Judge Roksana Begum Happy of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 of Dhaka pronounced the verdict in the presence of the accused in the courtroom on Wednesday.

The convict, Jahidul, son of Fazlul Haque of Porikhal village in Barguna Zilla Sadar, was also fined Tk50,000, with a provision for a six-month jail term in case of non-compliance with the fine.

He was sent back to jail following the delivery of the verdict, said the court’s Public Prosecutor Sajjad Hossain, who expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

However, the defence lawyer, Imran Hossain, expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict, stating that they would appeal to a higher court to seek justice.

According to the case statement, the accused, Jahid, went to the victim’s house to teach her on 23 March 2021. Around 8:30pm, when the victim’s parents were working at a garage adjacent to their house, he raped the child.

When the victim’s parents saw him rushing out of the house, they returned home and found their daughter crying.

The victim then told her parents about the rape.

Following the incident, her father filed a rape case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

On 24 July 2021, the investigation officer Police Inspector Rashida Jahan Runa Talukder from Women Support and Investigation Division filed chargesheet against the accused.

On 20 January next year, the court framed charges against the accused and recorded statements of 10 witnesses during the trial.