Lagamuwa Thenne, Wiyannalage Janaka Ruwan Jayakody Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0136/2019-2022

In The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Attorney General) v. Lagamuwa Thenne Wiyannalage Janaka Ruwan Jayakody, the court addressed whether the prosecution established the accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt for theft under Section 366 of the Penal Code read with Section 3 of the Offences Against Public Property Act No. 12 of 1982. It was held that the evidence, including the voluntariness and admissibility of the accused’s confession, sufficed to maintain the conviction, reaffirming that a voluntary confession, corroborated by circumstantial evidence, is sufficient to establish guilt even in the absence of direct evidence. Reliance was placed on Section 24 of the Evidence Ordinance and relevant case law, underscoring that the proper evaluation of confession and circumstanti