Bangalore court sentences rapist to death

A fast track court in Bangalore has awarded death sentence to a dreaded rapist and psychopath killer, who is involved a total of fifteen rape cases, besides rape and four murder charges.

Convicting 37-year-old Umesh Reddy, a former police constable, for rape and murder of a housewife Jayashree in Bangalore during February 1998, Judge of the City’s VII Fast Track court Ms Sukanya directed the authorities to hang him till death because “he is a menace to the society”.

Describing the rape and murder of 35-year-old Jayashree in front of her six-year-old son by Umesh Reddy as the “rarest of rare cases”, the judge sentenced him to death for murder, life imprisonment for rape and ten months of rigorous imprisonment for robbery. She also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000.

Since death penalty is the heaviest sentence, Umesh Reddy will not have to undergo the other sentences. The case will now be referred to the High Court of Karnataka for confirmation of death sentence.

Though the convict pleaded for leniency claiming that he had already spent a few years in prison and had to take care of his aged and sick mother, but the court did not take it into account. Umesh Reddy, who is also facing trial in a series of rape and murder cases, also told the court that he was pursuing a graduation course and would lead a civilized life.

But, the judge upheld the prosecution’s argument that Reddy deserved capital punishment for his heinous crimes. The court based its verdict on the evidence of the victim Jayashree’s son Suresh, who was an eye-witness to the assault on his mother at their residence in Peenya in Bangalore. Suresh, now 14 years old, has been adopted by a businessman and is pursuing his studies.

Umesh Reddy, who had been appointed as a constable with the District Armed Reserve (DAR) in Chitradurga, was dismissed from service after his first instance of rape came to light. Reddy’s criminal history started in Chitradurga when he attempted to rape a girl in Chitradurga. The victim identified him by chance when he was participating in a police parade.

Later, he committed several rapes in Chitradurga, Kunigal, Hiriyur and Baroda, besides Bangalore. The dreaded sex maniac and psychopath killer was caught by the police several times, but he managed to give them a slip and run away till he was finally secured in 2002.

Police files also show Umesh Reddy as a transvestite, who regularly stole women’s undergarments and wear them in his house.