Suspended sentences for Hirunika’s supporters in abduction case

Six supporters of MP Hirunika Premachandra, who pleaded guilty to the abduction of a youth from Dematagoda, have been sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment suspended for 12 years by the Colombo High Court. 

The sentence was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge R. Gurusingha, who also imposed a fine of Rs 32,000 on each defendant and ordered them to pay Rs 285,000 as compensation to the victim. 

One of the accused in the case was not sentenced by the court as he is still a student and was released on a bond of Rs 100,000.

The case against Premachandra, who did not plead guilty to the charges, will continue to be heard by the court. 

In December 2015, a 35-year-old man was abducted in the Baseline Road area in Dematagoda and assaulted by a group of individuals who had arrived in a Land Rover Defender which is allegedly owned by Premachandra.

It was later revealed that a clandestine love affair between the abduction victim and the wife of one of the suspects had led to the incident. 

The victim who is a resident of Kolonnawa was abducted by the group on December 21. 

Nine including Premachandra were charged over the abduction while the Colombo District MP was arrested on January 9, 2016 and subsequently granted bail by the court. 

On November 06, the suspects excluding UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra admitted before the Colombo High Court to abducting the youth.