PHC upholds child's conviction in abuser murder case.

PESHAWAR -- A Peshawar High Court bench has ruled that defending himself against sexual abuse and blackmailing is a mitigating circumstance for a juvenile person to get lesser punishment for killing the abuser.

However, Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani and Justice Nasir Mehfooz ruled that such circumstances didn't result in the outright acquittal of an accused under Section 100 of the Pakistan Penal Code dealing with the commission of an offence in self-defence.

The ruling was part of a detailed judgment released by the bench on an appeal filed by a juvenile person, who was sentenced by a juvenile court on July 29, 2019, to 10 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs200,000 for killing a man, who sexually abused and blackmailed him.

The bench dismissed his appeal as well as a criminal revision petition filed by the brother of the deceased requesting for an increase in the sentence awarded to the appellant.

Rules minor deserves lesser punishment for defending himself against abuse

It ruled that keeping in view the juvenility of the appellant and peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, 10 years rigorous imprisonment awarded to the appellant by the trial court was just and appropriate.

The bench had decided the appeal and revision petition last month and discussed different aspects of the case in detailed judgment.

Under normal circumstances, a murder convict is sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

The FIR of the...