Kotakethana killing: Three accused acquitted

28 May 2015 06:41 am Views - 11645

The three accused who were charged with the killing of a mother and her daughter at Kotakethana in July 2012 were acquitted by Colombo High Court Judge Devika De Livera Tennakone today.

Judge Tennakoon released the three suspects Namal Chaminda Silva, Sisira Priyankara alias Mithila and Lokugam Hewage Nushara and acquitted them on all charges over the killing of U.D. Premawathie (63) and her daughter H.G. Pushpakumari (32) in Kotakethana.

The Judge observed that the evidence of the first prosecution witness Siripala was hard to believe and the evidence of the police witness were also unbelievable.

It was observed that the charges against the suspects were not proven beyond doubt and acquitted the accused from the case.

During the trial the defence led evidence based on the DNA that asserted that the culprit for the killings was the person who had spat betel chew on a jak leaf.

It was confirmed that the samples of the spit collected from the jak leaf did not tally with other samples collected from the three accused. It was also established that the sample collected from the scene did not tally with the samples of betel spit found on the jak leaf

Consequently the defence moved to discharge the accused from the case.

Judge Tennakoon delivering her judgment acquitted the accused as the case was no proven beyond reasonable doubt.

The accused Namal Chaminda Silva, Sisira Priyankara alias Mithila and Lokugam Hewage Nushara were accused of having killing U.D. Premawathie, and H.G. Pushpakumari whose bodies were butchered and set a blaze in their own home in Kotakethana on July 19 in 2012.

Senior Counsel U. R. De Silva with Attorneys – at –law Chamani Sri Wijendra and Nadee Sarathchandra defended the 1st accused. Counsel Isuru Somadasa defended the 2nd accused while Counsel Dharshana Kuruppu with Nimali Menike Chandrasekera and Sampath Jayawardena defended the 3rd accused.(FT)