Judge Sends Businessman, 38, To Jail For 12 Years

In sentencing a 38-year-old businessman for rape, a High Court Judge told him that he had changed the life of the victim and traumatised her.

Justice Thushara Rajasinghe said this while sentencing the man to 12 years imprisonment.

The businessman was found guilty on three counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The incidents happened in January 2019, at Nasinu and the victim was 25 years old at the time of the offence.

The court heard that the victim and her husband had invited the businessman to their house for a drinking party. Justice Rajasinghe said the man had breached the trust of the victim and her husband by committing the offences.

He said the offences were serious and the purpose of the sentence was founded on the principle of deterrence.

Justice Rajasinghe said in this case, an aggregated sentence would be imposed on the man.

He said the offences committed by the businessman had left the victim experiencing emotional and psychological trauma.

He said the victim’s life as a wife and mother had changed after the incidents took place.

The businessman was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 10 years.

Justice Rajasinghe noted that the man was in remand for 26 days and considered the time spent in remand as part of the imprisonment term served of a month.

The actual period to serve by the businessman is 11 years and 11 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of nine years and 11 months. The man is given 30 days to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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