Ambika Bhardwaj
Published On: December 31, 2021 at 14:40 IST
On Wednesday, a particular POCSO Court in Mumbai sentenced Catholic Priest Fr Lawrence Johnson to life imprisonment for sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy at a church in Mumbai’s suburban Dadar in 2015. The Court noted that the Convict Sexually Abused the minor boy two times between August and November of 2015.
The Victim told authorities that on November 27, 2015, he went to the church in Shivaji Nagar, Dadar, with his brother, and then after the prayers, he was called in there by Fr Lawrence on the pretext of keeping a box, whereby the pastor shut the door from the inside and Sexually Abused him.
The minor had been bruised and bleeding as a result of this exploitation. The boy went on to say that the priest had tried a similar thing a few months before the episode. In front of the Magistrate, he had also made the same statement. Although the Victim is now 18 years old, he is still getting treatment for his physical problems and, sadly, continues to suffer from nightmares and hallucinations.
Melwyn Fernandes, General Secretary of the Association of Concerned Catholics, stated that the Criminal Case against Fr Lawrence Johnson was initiated in 2015.
A reporter approached him for instant Legal assistance for the poor victim’s family, and he rushed to the Victim’s house with his Legal team and a psychologist.
First, they counselled the Victim, and then the team’s Lawyer got involved in the POCSO case, while the boy’s family was hassled by Fr Lawrence Johnson supporters.
“Eventually, they changed the parish, after this judgement, the Vatican or the Archdiocese of Bombay must immediately defrock the priest,” the reporter added.