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Teen Kidnappings in 2015:
Not guilty at first trial:
Eight others pleaded guilty at the first trial:
Yesterday, former MP and SJB Women’s Wing leader Hirunika Premachandra was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Colombo High Court for her alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a youth using a Defender jeep.
Shirunika was found guilty of 18 counts out of a 19-count indictment filed by the Attorney General and the Colombo High Court sentenced her to a total of 33 years’ imprisonment for each count.
The Colombo High Court also ordered that the entire jail term be served concurrently. Therefore, the total jail term was limited to three years. In addition to the sentence, a fine of Rs. 360,000 was imposed.
The Colombo High Court sentenced the accused to a fine. If she is unable to pay the fine, she will be sentenced to an additional six months of lenient imprisonment for each charge.
After a lengthy trial, Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja said the prosecution was able to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
High court Justice Amal Ranaraja announced the verdict in open court, stating that considering the gravity of the offence and all the evidence produced during the trial, the accused Hirunika Premachandra was found guilty of 18 out of the 19 charges raised in the complaint.
Deputy Attorney General Janaka Bandara, in a submission to the court on behalf of the Attorney General, pointed out that the court had found the accused guilty on 18 of the 19 charges and he asked the court to sentence the accused to a fixed term of imprisonment instead of a suspended sentence.
The Deputy Attorney General further pointed out that the defendant was a member of Parliament at the time of the crime and was elected by the people. The other eight defendants all pleaded guilty in the first trial, but the defendant refused to humbly admit the crime he had committed.
Anura Maddegoda, the President’s lawyer appearing for the accused, said his client is a very popular social activist and her children aged 7, 5 and 3 will be greatly harmed if she is sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment. She is a social activist who has spoken out against various wrongs in the country. Therefore, he asked the court to give a lighter sentence to his client.
He also informed the court that they plan to file a review application in court to challenge the judgment of the Colombo High Court. After considering the facts, the Colombo High Court judge delivered the judgment and sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment.
Dilshan Taraka
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