Maduranga, who raped the doctor in Anuradhapura, is granted bail after 7 months

Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate Siyapath Sasindu Wickramarathne yesterday (23) sentenced a former army soldier to six months of compulsory imprisonment, who pleaded guilty only to the charge of snatching a mobile phone, in connection with the incident of severely raping a trained specialist doctor working at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital and stealing her smartphone. K., a resident of D Three Ela Road area, New Town, Galnewa.

The court also ordered this defendant, K.B. Maduranga Rathnayake, to pay a fine of Rs. 1500 in addition to the prison sentence.

Furthermore, Shalika Harshani Rathnayake, the sister of the suspect former soldier who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting in concealing the mobile phone snatched from the doctor, and H.K. Mithila Sampath Kumarasinghe were also sentenced to six months imprisonment each. However, the Chief Magistrate ordered their sentences to be suspended for a period of two years, and in addition, they were each fined Rs. 1500.

The Chief Magistrate had previously ordered the release of this former army soldier, who had been remanded for nearly seven months in connection with the main incident of raping the doctor, under strict bail conditions. However, more than three months have passed, but he has not yet been able to fulfill the relevant bail conditions, and the court has also issued a prohibitory order preventing him from traveling abroad. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the suspect had to be re-remanded on the very day he was ordered to be released on strict bail conditions, as there is another charge of possessing a live hand grenade.

Sub-Inspector A.C. Dayananda of the Children and Women's Bureau of the Anuradhapura Headquarters Police reported to the court that the records of the police investigations related to this crime have now been forwarded to the Attorney General, based on the Attorney General's notification. Accordingly, the Attorney General is expected to file indictments against the defendant in the Anuradhapura High Court regarding the incident of raping the doctor.

Anuradhapura Headquarters Police had previously been ordered to conduct a DNA test on the suspect and submit the relevant medical report to the court. During an identification parade, the victim doctor easily identified the suspect. No lawyer appeared for the defendant, who had been remanded for seven months for this case, while a lawyer appeared in court on behalf of the aggrieved party's rights, under the instructions of President's Counsel Kalinga Indratissa. The prosecution was led by Sub-Inspector A.C. Dayananda, under the instructions of Chief Police Inspector Nishani Senavirathne, OIC of the Children and Women's Bureau of the Anuradhapura Headquarters Police.