A police constable accused of statutory rape of an underage girl who came to lodge a complaint at the Mount Lavinia police station in 2012, has been sentenced to 45 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court.

High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige sentenced the former Mount Lavinia police constable to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for each of the three charges, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The court also ordered the victim be compensated Rs. 250,000, and imposed an additional Rs. 10,000 fine on the accused. If the compensation or fine is not paid, further imprisonment terms of two years and six months, respectively, will be enforced.

The trial revealed that the constable had initially obtained the contact details of the victim when she and her mother visited the Mount Lavinia police station to file a complaint against a neighbour.

A romantic relationship later developed between the constable and the minor, during which he engaged in sexual relations with her multiple times.

The victim eventually attempted suicide after the constable refused to marry her. Her parents filed a complaint with the National Child Protection Authority, leading to an investigation and subsequent legal action.

In court, the constable claimed he had intended to marry the victim but was unaware of her age. He further stated that his decision not to marry her was due to objections from his family, as she was from a Muslim background. Despite the relationship being known to both families, the constable went on to marry someone else, it was revealed

Judge Patabendige convicted the accused on all charges, stating that the prosecution’s case was proven beyond reasonable doubt through medical evidence and other evidence.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)