London: An Indian has been sentenced to six years in jail for sexually assaulting a minor girl and faces deportation at the end of the jail term.

Major Singh (44) an illegal immigrant, was sentenced to six years imprisonment by the Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday for assaulting a 9-year-old girl on September 24, 2007.

An inebriated Singh forced the girl to perform what was described as a "serious sexual act" in an alley before being discovered by local youths.

Adrienne Lucking, prosecuting lawyer, told the court, "The youths took matters into their own hands and he was punched repeatedly in immediate retribution."

Singh fled Leicester to Slough after the incident, but was soon apprehended by the police. He denied any wrongdoing when captured.

But in the court he admitted raping the child by forcing her to carry out a sex act upon him, against her will.

The child's mother said the attack had "ruined" her daughter's life, and the whole family was suffering.

Carl Gaskell, defending lawyer, said: "He's been here evading the taxmen by working for cash to send back to India to his wife, who suffers from a serious disease, and two children. He very much regrets what happened."

He added, "It was fuelled by excess of drink. He says he'll never do anything like this again."

Passing the sentence, Judge Peter Morrell told Singh: "I accept you are ashamed of yourself, but you must also recognise that there's nothing you can do now, or the court can do, to put right the damage you have done to that little girl.

"You took away the most precious thing she had, which is her innocence and her right to determine how she should conduct herself sexually in due course."

Source : PTI