A Sacramento jury has handed down a guilty verdict to 68-year-old Jagdish Chand on multiple counts of sexual assault against a child. Chand was convicted last Thursday of a slew of charges: five counts of rape by force, fear, duress or menace; seven counts of oral copulation by force, fear, duress, or menace; two counts of sexual penetration by foreign object by force, fear, duress, or menace; and two counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under age 14, as reported by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Details that emerged from the trial depicted a harrowing pattern of abuse. The victim, who was roughly seven when the assaults began, knew Chand through her family. Over the years, as she grew to the age of 13, the assault escalated to regular forced rape. Despite her attempts to resist, Chand overpowered and threatened her, allegedly warning of harm to her or her family members if she did not comply. The abuse also involved forced oral copulation and the use of sex toys.
With the conviction, Chand now faces a maximum sentence of 118 years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2025, in Department 20 by the Honorable Michael Sweet. However, under existing California law, Chand could be eligible for an Elder Parole hearing after serving only 20 years of his sentence. Given his time already in custody, this could potentially reduce his incarceration to approximately 17 and a half years, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Deputy District Attorney Allen Tsikerman, of the Special Assault and Child Abuse Unit, who served as the prosecutor in Chand’s case, saw to it that justice was pursued.
