Fernando v. The Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 1980 volume 2 page 079

In Fernando (appellant) versus The Republic of Sri Lanka, the court examined whether a woman who voluntarily participates in her own miscarriage is legally treated as an accomplice and whether evidence from such an accomplice must be independently corroborated. Further, the court considered whether the trial judge’s failure to direct the jury on the need for corroboration and on evaluating circumstantial evidence undermined the safety of the conviction. It was held that a woman in these circumstances is an accomplice whose testimony requires independent corroboration. The court determined that serious misdirections occurred during the summing-up at trial, including the absence of proper jury instruction on important legal principles involving corroboration and circumstantial evidence. The