Peshawar High Court (PHC) has sentenced a doctor to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs500,000 for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old sister-in-law in 2023, overturning his acquittal by a trial court.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Inamullah Khan accepted an appeal filed by the victim, ruling that the trial court had erred in acquitting the accused.
An additional sessions judge and child protection court had acquitted the doctor on November 11, 2025, following which the victim challenged the decision before the high court.
During the appeal, the defence argued that the allegation was fabricated because the victim’s sister, who was married to the accused, wanted to dissolve their marriage. It claimed that the family had falsely implicated the doctor to facilitate the separation.
However, the bench rejected the argument, observing that a matrimonial dispute between the accused and his wife did not establish that the criminal allegation had been fabricated to secure a divorce.
The court convicted the doctor under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 53 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act (CPWA). He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs500,000 under Section 376-B of the PPC.
He also received seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 under the child protection law. The bench ordered both sentences to run concurrently.
The case originated from an FIR [First Information Report] registered at Hayatabad police station on February 14, 2023, following a complaint lodged by the victim and her father, who are both United States (US) nationals.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on February 6, 2023, when the victim’s parents and sister had left the house for some work. While her brother was asleep in a guest room, the accused approached her in the lounge and sexually assaulted her, the FIR stated.
The victim and her father recorded their statements during the trial through a video link from the US.
In its 39-page judgement, the bench also examined the eight-day delay in registering the complaint, observing that it could not be treated as conclusive evidence of fabrication.
The judges noted that victims and their families might need time to overcome the shock, stigma and apprehension associated with reporting sexual offences. Referring to previous Supreme Court (SC) judgements, the bench said that delays in reporting such cases should not automatically undermine a victim’s credibility.
The court also examined DNA evidence, noting that the forensic examination had been conducted by a duly constituted laboratory and that no substantial evidence had been presented to challenge its authenticity or scientific methodology.
