The Monster Behind the Wheel

Colombo was left stunned this week as a so-called “uncle figure” — a trusted school van driver — was unmasked in court as a predator. At 68 years old, instead of rocking a grandchild to sleep or sipping evening tea, this man was sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for abusing a Grade 4 schoolgirl who once trusted him to get her home safely.

High Court Judge R.S.S. Sapuwidha handed down the maximum punishment, making it clear there is no mercy for those who betray children. Along with prison, the convict — a father himself — must pay Rs. 500,000 in compensation to the survivor. If he fails, more jail time awaits.

The crime dates back more than a decade. The girl, then just nine years old, was the last to be dropped home on many afternoons. He lured her with sweets, prosecutors said, and turned the backseat of a school van into a chamber of horror. The truth only surfaced when the child whispered her secret to a friend. That friend told her mother. And the mother confronted the driver before marching to the police.

The Attorney General’s office brought charges under Sections 345 and 365(a) of the Penal Code. The court ruled the evidence was overwhelming: guilty beyond a shadow of doubt.

In sentencing, the judge cut through the excuses. This was no random assault, he stressed, but a deliberate abuse of trust: a man paid to carry children safely to their homes chose instead to violate one of the youngest.

The message rang loud through the courtroom: parents cannot take safety for granted. The gossip in Colombo now is not just about one man’s disgrace, but about how easily power and access can be twisted. Behind the wheel of a school van, this driver looked like every other driver waiting outside school gates. Inside, he was a monster.

For the victim, justice has come late — but at least it has come. And for society, the case is a warning siren: watch who carries your children, ask questions, and never assume trust equals safety.