Scot laments four wasted journeys to Sri Lanka to clear name in Malaka club brawl case

A Scot facing trial over a club brawl in Sri Lanka has lamented over the lengthy court proceedings which have to date cost him £15,000 in order to clear his name, during a brawl at club in 2014 while on holiday in the island.

According to the Daily Record, James Casserly, from Shotts, Lanarkshire, has flown to Sri Lanka  and each time  to see his case adjourned with the most recent trip bringing the count to a fourth adjornment by a Sri Lankan court yesterday.
The 45-year-old was hailed a hero after defending girlfriend Belinda McKenzie during a run-in with former politican Mervyn Silva's son Malaka Silva  in a Colombo nightclub in 2014.

The engineer claims he punched Silva in the face in self-defence after Silva allegedly groped Belinda and hit her twice. Silva was arrested along with six other suspects. But James has been forced to return to Sri Lanka  at his own expense after Silva pressed charges against him, the report claimed.

The case was delayed again yesterday at Colombo chief magistrate’s court owing to prosecutors  probing claims that Silva had flouted a nightclub ban enforced at the time of the brawl.

James said yesterday: “Every time I come here it costs £1500 and I have to pay everything myself. I can’t afford to keep coming here,” he told the Daily Record