The Colombo High Court today sentenced former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra to 3 years of rigorous imprisonment for her involvement in the abduction and assault of a youth in Dematagoda in 2015.
The verdict was issued after the court considered the case filed by the victim, Amila Priyankara, who alleged that he was abducted and assaulted by a group arriving in a black Defender jeep on December 21, 2015.
Previously, eight other accused in the case had pleaded guilty and received suspended prison sentences from the Colombo High Court. However, Premachandra maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
In her defense, Premachandra claimed that on the day of the incident, she was involved in a discussion with former minister Rajitha Senaratne before attending another event. She stated that she was at the event during the time of the abduction and that one of the accused, who pleaded guilty, had taken her Defender without her consent for the incident.