Kusumadasa vs. State – sllr 2011 volume 1 page 240

In the case between The State and the appellant convicted of the murder of Katayagodage Vineetha Jayasinghe, the court considered the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence required to sustain a conviction for murder. It was held that the facts relied upon by the prosecution were compatible with the innocence of the accused and thus insufficient to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. This holding reaffirmed the legal principle that in cases based solely on circumstantial evidence, the proved facts must be consistent only with the guilt of the accused and inconsistent with any reasonable hypothesis of innocence. The decision drew upon the restrictive application of the dictum of Lord Ellenborough and emphasized the prosecution’s burden to meet these rigorous standards.

Sisira de Abrew J.