News
Death sentence upheld for Thiyagarajah Maheswaran’s killer
The death sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court on the accused found guilty of the assassination of former minister and United National Party MP Thiyagarajah Maheswaran has been upheld by the Court of Appeal (CA).
A bench comprising Judges Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and R Gurusinghe rejected the appeal filed by Johnson Colin Valintino alias “Vasanthan,” upholding the death sentence imposed on the appellant by High Court Judge Sunil Rajapaksha on August 24, 2012.
UNP MP Thiagarajah Maheswaran was shot dead inside the Ponnambalavaneswarar Sivan temple in Kotahena while attending religious observances with his daughter.
The accused had been indicted in the high court on two murder counts. He was found guilty of the murder of Mr Maheswaran but was acquitted in the other murder.
Mr Maheswaran was shot dead inside the Ponnambalavaneswarar Sivan temple in Kotahena while attending religious observances with his daughter.
After he shot the victim, the assassin also became involved in a shootout with Mr Maheswaran’s bodyguards, leading to several others being injured. The injured were brought to the Colombo National Hospital where one of the injured bodyguards identified the assassin among those who had been injured. Investigations conducted after his arrest established that he had been the gunman.
Nineteen witnesses testified for the prosecution during the trial held into the assassination.
The accused had filed an appeal before the CA arguing that eye witnesses at the trial had given contradictory evidence and that he had been denied the opportunity to have a jury trial.
Senior Deputy Solicitor General (SDSG) Dileepa Peiris, who appeared for the Attorney General, dismissed the arguments and pointed out that the trial judge had clearly informed the accused that he was entitled to a trial by jury. He also stressed that there was no contradictory evidence whatsoever given by eyewitness Guruge Dharmasiri Perera, the security officer who identified the accused as the assassin. The evidence has also not come under suspicion and identification of the accused was also done properly, SDSG Peiris informed court.
Having considered the arguments, the CA accepted that the prosecution had proved charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed the appeal, upholding the death sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court.
Attorney-at-Law Dr Ranjith Fernando with Champika Monarawila appeared for the accused appellant.
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