Court of Appeal Upholds 10-Year Rigorous Imprisonment in Child Sexual Abuse Case

The Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka yesterday affirmed the 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed by the Ratnapura High Court on a neighbour convicted of committing grave sexual abuse against an underage girl.

Delivering the judgment, Justices Sasi Mahendran and Amal Ranara of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka dismissed the appeal filed by the accused, who had challenged the legality of the High Court ruling. The Court held that the victim’s testimony was consistent and reliable, and found no grounds to interfere with the findings of the trial court.

The accused had been indicted under Section 365B(2)(b) of the Penal Code for offences of grave sexual abuse alleged to have been committed on or around January 7, 2015, in the Milavitiya area. Following trial, he was convicted on one count and sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. He was also fined Rs. 10,000 and ordered to pay Rs. 150,000 as compensation to the victim.

Evidence presented before the High Court revealed that the victim’s parents were separated, and her father was not living with the family. Her mother supported the household financially by working at a workshop near their residence. The accused, a neighbour, reportedly had regular contact with the family.

On the day of the incident, the victim and her younger sister were at home while their mother was at work. The accused is said to have visited the house, given sweets to the younger child, and asked her to go and play in the garden before committing the offence.

With the Court of Appeal’s ruling, the conviction and sentence imposed by the Ratnapura High Court have been fully upheld.

Additional Solicitor General Shanaka Wijesinghe appeared for the Attorney General.