• The victim’s mother had complained against the JMO to Hambantota Police and the Child Protection Authority
• The suspect was Dr.Thuduwage Chaturan Priyadarshana Perera of Sanghamitta Mawatha in Rambukkana

By Dilip Jayasekara  

The Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) in Hambantota General Hospital who had been arrested on a complaint that he threatened and intimidated the 16-year-old girl who had been raped by 22 schoolboys during the medical examination  was produced before Hambantota Addl. District Judge and Magistrate Oshadha Migara Maharachchi on Saturday and released on personal bail of Rs. 300,000.

The suspect was Dr.Thuduwage Chaturan Priyadarshana Perera of Sanghamitta Mawatha in Rambukkana. The victim’s mother had complaint against the JMO to Hambantota Police and the Child Protection Authority. She had stated that the JMO threatened and intimidated the girl causing psychological violence and doctored the girl’s statement. The victim was a student of Thanamalwila national school and an underage girl. Child Protection Authority investigated the complaint arrested and produced the doctor in court on Saturday (17). The Judge who released the suspect on bail ordered police to further investigate the incident and postponed the case for October 23.