SI ATAPATTU IDENTIFIES SUSPECT IN CCTV FOOTAGES

Mel Gunasekara’s murder

Inspecting the footages Dayan Gunasekara, the brother of Mel Gunasekara was able to identify the suspect as the person to have painted their house the previous year in December

During the trial of Business Journalist Mel Gunasekara’s murder at the Colombo High Courts yesterday(17), Sub Inspector Prasanna Atapattu of the Thalangama Police Station said he was able to identify the person shown in the CCTV footages to be the accused, Anthony Ramson George.

Giving evidence at the hearing he said the accused had broken into the house through a window in the drawing room. He stated that a part of the window grill had been forcefully removed through which the accused had entered. SI Atapattu had also found a chisel in a drawer in a room adjoining the drawing room. The occupants of the house had testified that it did not belong to them. Journalist Mel Gunasekara was found dead on the kitchen floor on February 2, 2014. She had been allegedly stabbed by Anthony Ramson George who had broken into the house while her family was at Church. The accused was tracked by the CCTV footages obtained and was arrested the same day in Dompe. He had allegedly stolen the mobile phone that belonged to the deceased.

SI Atapattu further stated that he had observed cut marks on the left side of the face, on the neck, left hand and foot of the deceased. He had found the deceased sprawled on the floor covered in blood and there had been a (chew of betel) mixed with blood on the floor. He said the police dog sniffed the betel chew, the knife found on the sink and the chisel and directed the police team to a nearby house where they found CCTV cameras fitted onto the wall. Inspecting the footages Dayan Gunasekara, the brother of Mel Gunasekara was able to identify the suspect as the person to have painted their house the previous year in December. Further investigations into the CCTV footages were carried out by the Mirihana Special Investigation Unit.

On the request of the defence counsel the High Court Judge made arrangements for the CCTV footages to be shown in courts in the next hearing which was fixed for November 15. bulathwita