Surety facing contempt charge

~ Double killing case

By L.B.Senaratne

A retired Navy man now working at the Ports Authority was asked to show cause why he should not be indicted for giving false evidence and Contempt of Court, when the double killing of a doctor and her six month old child was taken up in the High Court.

High Court Judge Ms. Kumudini Wickramasinghe ordered B.C.Silva to show cause in this case where a Russian-trained medical officer S.P.Pathirage is indicted for the alleged murder of his wife, also a Russian-trained medical officer and her six-month old child at Lady Gordon’s Drive in Kandy on or about September 17, 2005.

The accused had not attended courts and warrants had been issued by former High Court Judge Nalin Perera and also by the present High Court Judge Ms.Kumudini Wickramasinghe. The sureties who are the accused's mother Somalatha Samarasinghe and two other had informed Court that they do not know the whereabouts of the accused.

One of the sureties was B.C.Silva who had made statements which according to Court amounts to contempt. He had denied he was a surety in the case, misleading courts when later it was revealed that he had signed as a surety. On the earlier date the other surety who is his mother told Court that when her son was in remand over the alleged murder her husband had died.

She said her son had not known of the death. When he was granted bail and had come out of remand, he learnt of the death. Thereafter he had become unbalanced and one day he had gone out of his home and not returned. She said every effort was being made to locate her son.

Attorney Kithsiri Seneviratne appeared for the aggrieved party. State Counsel Chaminda Wickreme appeared in this case. The case was postponed for December 12.