Disabled man gets eight years' RI for culpable homicide

KAPILA somaratne, Panadura group correspondent

Panadura Provincial High Court judge Malani Gunaratne sentenced an accused to eight years' rigorous imprisonment and fined him an additional Rs15,000 after he was found guilty of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The accused, a disabled man from Moratuwa, was indicted by the Attorney General with committing the murder of his 14 - year - old domestic aide by assaulting him with his crutches during an argument on March 15, 1998 in Moratuwa.

The accused had lost one leg following an accident.

The judge said this was a pathetic case as the disabled accused was alleged to have hit his domestic aide with crutches killing him, while causing 23 internal and external injuries according to the Judicial Medical Officer's report submitted to court by the Additional Judicial Medical Officer of the Colombo South Hospital.

The accused had two previous convictions for robbery and theft. The court cannot show any mercy to the accused. If the court grants a lenient punishment to such an accused, the public will lose faith in the judiciary, the judge said.

State Counsel Kusheka Kumarasiri appeared for the prosecution and made submissions.