Nepal's court announces 8-year jail term to cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane in rape case

In a rape case, a Nepalese court sentenced star cricket player Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in prison on Wednesday, according to news agency ANI. The Shishir Raj Dhakal bench delivered the decision. A court found Lamichhane, the former captain of Nepal's national cricket team, guilty of rape.

In addition, the bench fined the cricketer Rs300,000 and mandated that he provide the victim Rs200,000 in compensation, according to Chandra Prasad Panthi, the court's information officer.

On December 29, the bench convicted the former captain of the national cricket team after concluding that he had raped Gushala-26, a name given to the victim, in a Tilganga-based hotel on August 21, 2022. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday to determine the sentence.

The verdict came 15 months after the case was lodged on September 6, 2022, when the victim filed a rape case against the cricketer.

The court also ruled that the victim girl Gaushala 26 had reached 18 years of age. However, even though the victim was an adult, the court found Lamichhane guilty, stating that rape has been proven.