Nepali Court Sentences 'Buddha Boy' to 10 Years for Child Sexual Abuse

A Nepali court has sentenced Ram Bahadur Bamjon, once known as the 'Buddha Boy,' to 10 years in jail for child sexual abuse. Bamjon drew international attention in 2005 for meditating for 10 months. The court also ordered him to pay $3,750 in compensation to the victim. He plans to appeal the verdict.

A Nepali court sentenced a man who thousands believed was a reincarnation of the Buddha to 10 years in jail on Monday for child sexual abuse, a court official said. As a teenager, Ram Bahadur Bamjon had drawn international attention when in 2005 tens of thousands of people turned up to see the "Buddha Boy" sitting cross-legged under a tree in a dense forest in southeastern Nepal for nearly 10 months.

Court official Sikinder Kaapar of the Sarlahi district court in southern Nepal said a judge had also ordered Bamjon, 33, to pay $3,750 in compensation to the victim. Bamjon could not be reached for comment, but his lawyer, Dilip Kumar Jha, said he would appeal in a higher court.

Bamjon was arrested at a house on the outskirts of Kathmandu in January.

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