Kochi, Dec 8 (IANS): A court here on Thursday handed out a double life term to a Catholic priest for raping a minor girl.
The Latin Catholic priest Edwin Figarez on a few occasions in 2015, starting from January till March , had exploited the minor girl, who was also a member of the same parish which the priest served as the Vicar.
In April last year, the mother of the girl complained to the police following which the priest went into hiding and was arrested later.
The Ernakulam special court on Thursday found the priest guilty and handed him a double life term and also asked to pay a fine of Rs 2.15 lakh.
The court also found his brother guilty of helping the priest to go into hiding and has been sentenced to a year's imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000.