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Chinese brothel women to get second hearing
By Teles Anandappa
The Supreme Court has referred back a case to the Kurunegala High Court where five female Chinese nationals who were sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment have claimed they did not understand the case proceedings as all statements were recorded in Sinhala.

The women were charged and convicted in the Kurunegala Magistrates Court.
The accused had reportedly pleaded guilty through a lawyer and were convicted and ordered to be deported to their country after completing their sentence.

The police vice squad had used a decoy to trap one of the accused, all of whom were said to be employed in a brothel. The five accused had thereafter appealed to the Kurunegala High Court against the conviction and sentence but the appeal was turned down as the accused were absent and not represented.

Attorney Dr. Ranjith Fernando appeared for the accused thereafter and made an application for special leave to appeal to the Supreme Court stating that the defence was made by an attorney-at-law to a charge named and read out to the accused in a language they did not understand.

He said the Kurunegala High Court had erred in law by dismissing the appeal because the accused were absent, despite the Court records indicating that the notice sent had been returned to Court unserved.

After hearing counsel the Bench comprising Justices C.N. Jayasinghe N.G. Amaratunge and S. Marsoof referred the case back to the Kurunegala High Court to hear and determine the case on its merits and that it be heard in a language the accused can understand.

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