11 men, including ex-Colombo councillor Mohamed Anas, received suspended prison sentences after pleading guilty to attacking ex-Minister Johnston Fernando’s hotel during the 2022 Gota Go Gama unrest. Dramatic details emerge of tourists preventing arson and a narrow rescue.
GotaGoGama Hotel Attackers Plead Guilty; Ex-Minister’s Daughter Nearly Trapped in Fire
Eleven men, including former Colombo Municipal Councillor Mohamed Anas, have pleaded guilty to damaging the tourist hotel of former Minister Johnston Fernando in Union Place, Colombo, during the violent aftermath of the ‘Gota Go Gama’ protest site attack on May 9, 2022.
The Colombo High Court has sentenced the accused to two years of rigorous imprisonment, suspended for 10 to 15 years, following a plea agreement. High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne handed down the sentence yesterday (July 9), after all 11 individuals admitted to charges of damaging the hotel and two vehicles parked nearby.
Nine of the accused were fined Rs. 65,000 each, while one individual, charged with stealing a laptop from the premises, received a fine of Rs. 80,000. The case, originally set for a lengthy trial, was resolved swiftly after the defendants offered to plead guilty from the outset and pay Rs. 100,000 each in compensation.
The State Counsel informed the court that the prosecution would not object to closing the case if the aggrieved party accepted the compensation offer.
However, attorney Niroshan Siriwardena, appearing for former Minister Johnston Fernando, made startling revelations. He told the court that the accused had broken into the hotel with petrol, attempting to set the building on fire. The act was reportedly thwarted only due to the intervention of foreign tourists who happened to be on-site.
Siriwardena further disclosed that Fernando’s daughter was in one of the rooms at the time of the attack and had to be rescued through the roof as the situation escalated. The total estimated damage was placed at Rs. 9 million, but in a dramatic gesture, Johnston Fernando declined any compensation from the accused, stating that their admission of guilt was sufficient.
Despite the intensity of the incident and the serious nature of the charges, the judge opted for suspended sentences, considering the defendants’ willingness to plead guilty and the lack of objection from the aggrieved party.
The court has set August 28 as the date to confirm the payment of fines, which is a required condition for the sentence to remain suspended.
This case marks one of the most notable judicial outcomes tied to the May 9, 2022 unrest, where mob attacks followed an assault on peaceful protestors at Galle Face, an event that later escalated into nationwide violence.
