Bangladesh court sentences man to death for rape, murder of girl

A Bangladeshi court on Saturday sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl, in a swift trial that concluded in record 20 days.

The convict, 50-year-old Hitu Sheikh, is the father-in-law of the victim’s elder sister. The incident took place on March 1 at Magura district in western Bangladesh when the victim visited her sister’s home.

The girl was critically wounded during the rape and succumbed to her injuries at a military hospital in Dhaka, 12 days later.

The court, however, acquitted three co-accused — the convict’s wife and two sons — saying the prosecution could not prove the allegations brought against them.

The incident had sparked a nationwide fury.

Judicial experts in Dhaka said this was the fastest among recorded trials in a rape and murder case in Bangladesh’s history.

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