Bhubaneswar, March 13: A local court here today sentenced gangster Sandeep Acharya alias Raja to one year rigorous imprisonment for threatening to kill actress Leslie Tripathy in a case that stretched for four years.

Judicial magistrate first class Pradip Pradhan held the gangster guilty of issuing death threats to the album actress over mobile phone four years ago. However, the judge acquitted him on two other charges of voluntarily causing hurt and engaging in obscene acts.

“The accused is acquitted of the charges under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 294 (obscene acts and songs). At the same time, he is found guilty under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and convicted,” the judge observed while pronouncing sentence.

Government prosecutor Laxmidhar Parida said Leslie had lodged a complaint with Airfield police on March 6, 2008, against Raja, alleging that he had been threatening her over mobile phone.

Later, Raja was arrested after he surrendered before Goa police in Panaji on May 5, 2008. He had been absconding after killing judo coach Biranchi Das in April that year.

After the judgment was pronounced, Raja’s advocate Sibananda Ray appealed to the court to lessen the quantum of punishment, but the judge overruled the plea. Swagat Ray, another lawyer for the gangster, said they were not happy with the verdict and would approach the higher court.

“The ownership of the mobile phone, which the police had seized, could not be established. At the same time, we also found several other loopholes. We will appeal to the district court against this verdict,” said Ray.

Leslie’s lawyer Sidharth Das said the prosecution had produced five witnesses, including the actress herself, her brother, father and two investigating officers.

Das said Raja had met Leslie on December 2005, when she had gone to Baripada jail as part of an orchestra group for a jail reform programme. Raja was an undertrial prisoner there. Since then Raja had developed a one-sided affair with the actress. He used to send her lewd text messages.

“From 2005 till 2008, the accused had used 28 mobile SIM cards to call and send messages to the actress to woo her. As Leslie was acquainted with Raja’s voice, her statement proved fruitful and the judge found the gangster guilty under Section 506 for threatening. As he had not attacked her, the court acquitted him under other sections,” said Leslie’s advocate.

The gangster, along with his associate Akhaya Behera alias Chagala, had killed internationally known marathon child Budhia Singh’s coach Biranchi Das on April 12, 2008. Both Raja and Chagala have been serving life terms in Jharapada special jail since December 17, 2010, after they were convicted in the judo coach murder case. The gangster killed the judo coach as he had came in the way of his alleged one-sided affair with the actress.

Raja had been convicted of several other cases, including kidnapping of Arun Mantri, the brother of actress Bidusmita Mantri in 2008 a few days before the killing of the judo coach.