Van driver gets 18 months RI, fine

Kapila SOMARATNE-Panadura group correspondent

A van driver who pleaded guilty to the charge of causing the death of two occupants travelling in his vehicle and injuring motorcyclist was sentenced to 18 months rigorous imprisonment and suspended for 10 years and fined Rs 10,000 by Panadura Provincial High Court Judge Malanee Gunaratne last week. The accused was also ordered to pay Rs 200,000 as compensation to the family of the two dead occupants. The judge also ordered the accused to pay Rs 25,000 to motorcyclist W M Bandara as compensation.

Kapila Priyantha Pathirage of Moragahahena, Horana was indicted by the Attorney General with driving a van negligently and recklessly knocking a motorcyclist and causing the death of Premachandra Chandratilleke and Mallika Sandanayake on April 29, 2005 on the Moragahahena-Horana road and causing injuries to W M Bandara. Attorney-at-Law Sumedha Perera defending the accused said that when the accident occurred, the van which the accused was driving, skidded and knocked against a motorcyclist and proceeded further and fell into a drain. The two occupants in the van were critically injured and they died after admission to the Horana Hospital, Perera said. The accused pleaded guilty to the indictments. State Counsel Wasantha Perera prosecuted.