Convicted Rapist, Catholic Priest Offers to Marry Minor Victim and “Take Care of the Child”
By: Nandika Chand | Last Updated July 16, 2020
Kerala Catholic Priest Robin Vadakkumchery who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping and impregnating a minor girl, has offered to marry the victim and take care of the child.
The 52 year old approached the Kerala High Court and sought two months bail to prepare for the wedding. But the prosecution has brushed this off as a ploy to get relaxation for his sentence. The Public Prosecutor Suman Chakravarti said every rape convict can then offer to marry the survivor.
In his argument, Robin told the court that the victim was ready for the marriage. A police official said the victim now has a good chance of rebuilding her life. Following the rape case, the Vatican had dismissed Robin’s priesthood. He was the parish vicar near Kannur and was also the manager of the Church-backed school, where the victim was a Class 11 student. She gave birth to a child on February 7 of 2017.
During the initial days of probe, because of the priest’s influence, the victim’s father had taken blame and responsibility of raping and impregnating the girl child. Robin was arrested a year later on Februrary 27, 2018.
The victim’s birth certificate, proving that she was a minor in 2016 when the rape happened, was shown to the court. DNA samples of the baby proved that the priest was the rapist.
