Lawrence Hewage Sarath Premaratne alias Sarath Premawardena vs The Attorney-General – CA APPEAL NO. 86/2009-2013

In the case between Lawrence Hewage Sarath Premaratne alias Sarath Premawardena (Accused-Appellant) and The Attorney-General (Respondent), the court examined the propriety of the accused-appellant’s convictions for the murders of Amaratunga Arachchilage Gamini and the child Amaratunga Arachchilage Ashan Ranthilaka, as well as the attempted murder of Dahanpalage Susila Rathnamala. The court held that the appellate challenge failed, and affirmed that convictions and sentences—death for the two murders and imprisonment plus a fine for attempted murder—were properly imposed. The principle reaffirmed is that where compelling eyewitness and forensic evidence corroborate each other, coupled with an insufficient dock statement, convictions will stand. Reliance was placed on precedent regarding doc