The Sunday school teacher who molested a student after taking him on a bicycle to the jungle by the tank bund.

Monaragala High Court Judge Dr. Damith Nalinda Hewawasam, on Thursday (30), announced his verdict, sentencing a Dhamma school teacher, who was found guilty of severely sexually abusing a minor boy, to 24 years of rigorous imprisonment. The sentence was imposed on a 47-year-old Dhamma school teacher residing in the Building area, 70 Junction, Athimale, as the indictments against him were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to information revealed regarding the incident, in 2015, the accused took a young boy residing in the same area on his bicycle to a jungle area near a tank bund and committed the severe sexual abuse there. The judge, after thoroughly examining the evidence and facts presented during the long-running trial at the Monaragala High Court, declared the accused guilty of two charges.

Although a 24-year prison sentence was imposed with 12 years for each charge, the court ordered that the sentence be served concurrently, effectively amounting to 12 years. In addition to the prison sentence, it was ordered that a fine of two hundred thousand rupees (one hundred thousand rupees for each charge) be paid to the government, and a compensation of five hundred thousand rupees be paid to the abused child.

The judge further stated in his verdict that if the accused fails to pay the imposed fines, he would have to serve an additional one year of simple imprisonment, and if he fails to pay the compensation, an additional three years of simple imprisonment.