KARACHI, Oct 19: A sessions court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 20 years in prison in a kidnap and rape case.

Rehmatullah was found guilty of abducting a 20-year-old girl within the remit of the PIB Colony police station in June last year and subjecting her to sexual assault.

The district and sessions judge (east), Sadiq Hussain Bhatti, pronounced the verdict after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The court awarded a term of 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each in Sections 365-B (abducting woman to compel her for marriage, etc.) and 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

While both terms would run concurrently, the convict would have to undergo an additional six months in prison in case of non-payment of the fine.

The court, in its verdict, observed that the victim in her statement recorded by a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code as well as before the trial court, had testified against the accused and fully implicated him in the case, which was supported by other witnesses of the prosecution.

It added that the evidence of prosecution witnesses remained consistent and fully corroborated the medical evidence.

According to the prosecution, the accused had kidnapped the girl on June 23, 2010, took her to a house and raped her for five days.

The police arrested the accused in September and since then he had been in prison.

The case (FIR 219/2010) was registered against the accused under Sections 365-B and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the victim's father.

The court extended the benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the criminal procedure code to the convict and remanded him back to prison along with the conviction warrant to serve out the remainder of his sentence.