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No money to pay maintenance, pandemic-hit estranged husband threatens to drink poison
The COVID-19′s tragic economic impact was evident at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court this week when in a maintenance case a defendant produced a bottle of poison before court and said he had no choice but to drink its contents as his business had collapsed due to the pandemic.
The defendant, a father of three, ran a scrap metal business. His wife, who is separated from him, had filed a maintenance case against him demanding support for their children aged 18, 17 and 13. The defendant has been ordered to pay Rs 39,000 a month in child support for all three children as a temporary measure until the conclusion of the case.
The Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court had issued notice for the defendant to appear in court when his wife complained through her lawyer to court that he had failed to pay child support from March to June.
When the case was heard before Magistrate Chandima Liyanage, the defendant appeared in court without a lawyer. When his wife’s lawyer told court that he had failed to pay child support for four months, the defendant came forward with a plastic bottle and stated that it contained poison, which he had no choice but to swallow as he could not pay child support following the collapse of his scrap metal business due to COVID-19.
The magistrate ordered the defendant to sit and postponed the case to July 20. The defendant was later sent to hospital in an ambulance as he appeared to faint while in his seat.