Ten individuals, including former Colombo municipal councillor Mohamed Anas, have been sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment each, suspended for 10 to 15 years, for damaging the properties of former minister Johnston Fernando following the attack on the Galle Face “Gota Go Gama” protest site on May 9, 2022.
Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne yesterday (09) sentenced the accused after they had pleaded guilty to charges of having damaged the former minister’s tourist hotel located in Union Place, Colombo, and vandalising two parked vehicles.
Nine of the accused were each fined Rs. 65,000, while one individual involved in stealing a laptop from the hotel was fined Rs. 80,000.
During the hearing, lawyers representing the accused informed the court that their clients were prepared to plead guilty from the beginning and were willing to pay Rs. 100,000 each in compensation for the damages caused.
The state counsel indicated that if the aggrieved party accepted the proposed compensation, the prosecution would not object to concluding the case.
Representing former minister Johnston Fernando, lawyer Niroshan Siriwardena informed the court that on the day of the incident, the accused broke into the hotel, attempted to set it ablaze using petrol, and were stopped only due to the intervention of foreign tourists.
He also noted that the accused attempted to set fire to a room where his client’s daughter was staying, and that she was rescued through the roof. The total loss suffered was estimated at around Rs. 9 million, he added.
However, Siriwardena stated that his client did not wish to accept any compensation from the accused, and did not expect any financial recovery since they had already admitted guilt.
As such, each accused was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment, suspended for a period of 10 to 15 years. The judge also ordered the case to be recalled on August 28 to verify the payment of fines. (Newswire)