The 15-year prison sentence imposed on a father who abused his daughter is confirmed.

The Court of Appeal has affirmed the 15-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed by the Hambantota High Court on a father for the offense of sexually abusing his biological daughter. The Court of Appeal bench, consisting of Justice Amal Ranaraja and Dr. Sumudu Premachandra, issued this order after hearing and dismissing the appeal petition filed by the defendant.

Indictments were filed against the defendant concerning three charges of abusing his daughter in October 2018. After a lengthy trial, on July 16, 2025, the Hambantota High Court decided to convict the defendant on only one charge, brought under Section 364(3) of the Penal Code, and acquitted him of the other two charges.

The said High Court verdict sentenced the defendant to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000. It also ordered him to pay Rs. 400,000 as compensation to the abused daughter. Furthermore, it was stated that if the fine or compensation is not paid, an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment would be served for each default.

The defendant filed this appeal against the High Court verdict based on the prosecution's failure to establish the exact dates of the crime, the alleged problematic nature of the victim's testimony, the use of leading questions, and the manner in which his unsworn statement was considered.

However, rejecting all arguments raised by the defense, Court of Appeal Justice Dr. Sumudu Premachandra, in pronouncing the verdict, stated that the facts presented by the prosecution were more probable. The Court of Appeal pointed out that there was no legal basis to interfere with the conclusions reached by the High Court judge and ordered that the relevant imprisonment, fine, and compensation orders would remain in force without alteration, effective from July 16, 2025.