UNDER AGE CHILD IN PRISON INSTEAD OF CHILD CENTRE

This was exposed when a case was taken up against a man for engaging the underage child in begging

An underage child who was ordered by courts to be placed under the care of a Child Development Centre in Minuwangoda had been languishing in the Negombo Prison for three weeks, a Colombo Magistrate was told yesterday.

Colombo Additional Magis- trate Praharsha Ranasinghe yesterday ordered the Negombo Prisons Superintendent to immediately report to Courts the circumstances that led to the mixup. This was exposed when a case was taken up against a man for allegedly engaging the underage child in begging at the Kelaniya Temple Sacred area.

The Kelaniya Police had taken into custody the person on November 5 last year for employing the child to beg. The suspect was remanded and later released on bail while the child was ordered by Courts to be placed under the care of the Minuwangoda Unnaruwa Child Development Centre.

The magistrate had also sent notices to the matron of the child care centre to appear in courts to report the condition of the child.

The centre’s chief matron N.b.a.indrani Rohini appeared in courts yesterday with Attorney Prasad De Silva.

The child who was in a cell at that time was produced in courts by the Prisons Officers.

The Magistrate then questioned the prison officers as to why the child who was ordered to be handed over to the Child Development Centre was produced in courts from a prison cell.

The child said he was at the Negombo Prison for three weeks and was brought to courts from there.

The child said he was at the Negombo Prison for three weeks and was brought to courts from there.considering the statement made by the child, the magistrate ordered the Negombo Prisons Superintendent to submit reasons immediately as to why the child was kept in remand prison. The Magistrate ordered that the child be sent to the Unnaruwa Child Development Centre and postponed the case for March 5.