Husband fined 2 lakhs for climbing a light pole in anger with his wife

Matara Chief Magistrate Chathura Dissanayake ordered the individual who climbed a high-voltage power line tower in the Kamburupitiya town center to protest, following a dispute with his wife, to pay a sum of two hundred thousand rupees to the Ceylon Electricity Board for the damages caused.

The suspect, who was arrested by Kamburupitiya Police on the 21st, was produced before the court the following day and remanded until the 24th. The Magistrate also ordered the police on that day to calculate the loss incurred by the Electricity Board due to his actions and submit a report.

Subsequently, during the trial, the suspect pleaded guilty to the charge, and the police reported to the court that the Ceylon Electricity Board had incurred a loss of two hundred and one thousand ninety rupees and ninety cents due to this incident. The suspect was then further remanded, and the Magistrate, ordering him to cover the relevant loss, ordered his release on two personal bail bonds of one hundred thousand rupees each, adjourning the case until November 03.

As this individual, who had come after a disagreement with his wife, climbed the high-voltage power tower, the Electricity Board had to disconnect power in many areas of the Matara District as a safety measure. Consequently, residents in numerous areas including Nadugala, Thihagoda, Kamburupitiya, Akuressa, Randegoda, Mapalana, Witiyala, Mulatiyana, Deyyandara, Deniyaya, and Mawarala had to endure nearly three hours without electricity, and businesses also suffered significant losses as shops had to close early.

Subsequently, the police called the relatives of the individual to the scene and, with their assistance, managed to bring the suspect down. Further investigations into the incident were conducted under the instructions of Kamburupitiya Police Station OIC Manoj Dissanayake.