An Indo-Canadian man accused of raping a teen girl has been sentenced to three years in jail. Prakash Lekhraj, who raped a teenage girl, shared photos of her, and boasted to his friends about his crimes in a group chat, lost his bid to have the case tossed over delays and jailed. Lekhraj was convicted of one count of sexual assault and one count of making or publishing child pornography after a trial in November of last year, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

By DESIUZZCanada Staff With News Files

VANCOUVER – An Indo-Canadian man accused of raping a teen girl has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Prakash Lekhraj, who raped a teenage girl, shared photos of her, and boasted to his friends about his crimes in a group chat, lost his bid to have the case tossed over delays and jailed.

Lekhraj was convicted of one count of sexual assault and one count of making or publishing child pornography after a trial in November of last year, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

After his conviction, he applied to have the charges stayed on the grounds that his right to be tried within a reasonable time had been violated, filing what’s referred to as a Jordan application. Judge Ellen Gordon’s decision on that matter was posted online last week, rejecting the application and shedding some light on what Lekhraj was accused of and what he told the court at his trial, reported CTV News.

“Prakash Lekhraj sexually assaulted the complainant, then a teenaged girl, by, among other acts, both vaginal and anal penetration. He photographed her and via a group text message bragged to his friends that, ‘She took it like a champ; in every hole,’” the decision said.

“He was convicted … after admitting to the acts complained of and advising the court that he never needs to seek the consent of a female to have sexual relations with her.”

The Supreme Court of Canada’s “ceiling” for what constitutes trial in provincial court within a reasonable time is 18 months from the date on which charges are sworn. Lekhraj’s trial was initially scheduled to start in March of 2023, well within the window.

However, on the morning the victim was set to testify, the victim, she was unable to go forward that day given she was already in a state of “fragility”. However, she did feel confident she would be able to take the stand at a later date, saying a recent incident in her personal life had left her “overwhelmed by grief,” according to the decision.

The judge granted an adjournment on those grounds, and a series of scheduling conflicts further delayed the start of the trial until November of 2023.

The victim did ultimately testify, with Gordon noting, “it was apparent that she is a very fragile young woman.”

The trial started roughly six weeks outside of the 18-month window, and Lekhraj’s defence argued that was grounds to have the proceedings stayed, meaning no sentence would ever be handed down and the charges would be dropped.

The Crown argued that the delay was due to an exceptional circumstance, specifically due to the victim’s inability to testify on the date initially set.

Lekhraj was sentenced on Sept. 18, 2024, the same day the judge ruled on the Jordan application. According to the BCPS, he was handed three years in prison for sexual assault and three months for the child pornography offence.

Lekhraj has appealed his conviction.

Courtesy CTV News