Assault on state counsel; 12 years RI for father, son gets suspended jail term
A man found guilty of assaulting a state prosecutor and holding him hostage was sentenced to 12 years rigorous imprisonment by the Gampaha High Court this week. His teenage son, who was also found guilty of the same charge, was sentenced to four years R.I. suspended for five years.
Gampaha High Court Judge Khema Swarnadhipathi, who found the two accused guilty of all four charges filed against them, further ordered them to pay compensation amounting to Rs. 600,000 to the victim, State Counsel Udara Karunathilaka. The first accused, identified as G. A. D. Chulasiri Ganegoda was sentenced to 12 years RI to be served in eight years. The High Court also ordered that the two years suspended prison sentence imposed on the accused by the Negombo Magistrate’s Court be
implemented immediately. The accused was also fined Rs. 1,500 for each offence.
The second accused, identified as Neelanuwan Maduranga Ganegoda, who is a minor sitting his GCE O/L Examination, was sentenced to four years RI and ordered to pay a Rs.1,000 fine. The Court ordered that his prison sentence be suspended for five years.
The incident occured on September 25, 2009. State Counsel Karunathilaka had been driving his car in the Kadawatha area when a van carrying the accused had suddenly hit his vehicle and driven away. He had driven after the fleeing van and found it parked at a house, whereupon he had gone to speak to the inmates. At this point, the accused had started assaulting him and had dragged him inside the house, where he was held for more than two hours against his will. The victim had received severe injuries to his head and left eye due to the assault and required hospital treatment.
Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who was prosecuting, told court that the State Counsel had been forced to discharge himself from hospital and return home owing to being threatened by the accused while in hospital.
Attorney- at- Law Kumudu Silva appeared for the victim while A t t o r n e y - a t - L aw Saranga Waadasinghe represented the accused.