Woman and her lover sentenced to death

3-month-old infant strangled to death

A woman and her lover who stood indicted with the murder of a three-monthold infant girl were found guilty and sentenced to death yesterday by Chilaw High Court Judge Ravindra Amal Ranaraja.

The main suspect Seetha Manyt (35) was the child’s mother and Kapparacharilage Upul Ranjith Kumara (40) her lover. They had on April 6, 2005 strangled to death the woman’s three-yearold infant girl Eswaralage Kaushlya.

The second accused Ranjith Kumara had about two months prior to the incident brought the woman who was 23-year-old at the time and her infant daughter to his house and lived with her as his wife under one roof. However, about two months later when his wife who noticed that the child was missing suspected foul play and made a complaint to the police. During investigations the body of the infant which had been buried under a banana bush was recovered by police.

Although the court had ordered the release of the main suspect on bail, she had spent 13 years on remand for want of a surety, till the sentence of death was passed yesterday. The second accused who had been on bail had met with an accident and disabled.

Delivering the death sentence on them the judge held that the prosecution had established the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.

State Counsel Agbo Panditharatne prosecuted while Attorney Tharanga Dissanayake appeared for the suspects.