Nepalese court finds ‘Buddha Boy’ guilty of child sexual abuse
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KATHMANDU - A Nepalese court has found a man who thousands believed was a reincarnation of Buddha guilty of child sexual abuse, a court official said on June 25.
As a teenager, Ram Bahadur Bomjon drew international attention in 2005 when tens of thousands of people turned up to see the so-called “Buddha Boy” sitting cross-legged under a tree in a dense forest in south-eastern Nepal for nearly 10 months.
Devotees said he could meditate for several days without water, food or sleep.
Sarlahi district court registrar Sadan Adhikari said Bomjon had been found guilty of child sex abuse, without giving details. The court will sentence Bomjon, 33, on July 1.
Bomjon, who faces up to 14 years in prison, could not be reached for comment. His lawyer Dilip Kumar Jha said that there was no evidence against his client and that they would file an appeal in a higher court.
In January, Bomjon was arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police at a house on the outskirts of Kathmandu where he had been hiding since the court issued an arrest warrant against him following allegations of sexual abuse. REUTERS
