Patna, Dec 11 (IANS): A Bihar court Thursday sentenced the head of an orphanage to 10 years in prison for sexual abuse of children, a government lawyer said.

Hajipur Additional District and Sessions Judge B.K. Tripathi found Praduman Kumar guilty of sodomising and sexually abusing some destitute children at the shelter home being run by him, as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Praduman Kumar is the head of the Lok Seva Ashram, an orphanage in Patedhi Belsar block in Vaishali district, special public prosecutor Manoj Kumar Sharma told the media at district headquarter Hajipur, about 30 km from here.

He was arrested last year following a complaint by some children that he had sexually abused them.

After the complaint, a case was lodged against him when some children were admitted to a hospital in Muzaffarpur district, a police official said.

Medical examination of the children confirmed they were sexually abused by the man.

An inquiry was then ordered by the district administration.