Warnakulasuriya Antony Janaka Fernando v. Hon. Attorney General – HCC/260/19-2022

In The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka v. Warnakulasuriya Antony Janaka Fernando, the court considered the issue of whether the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt the charges of house trespassing with intent to sexually abuse and statutory rape of a minor. It was determined that the credibility and evidentiary sufficiency of the main witness, specifically inconsistencies in testimony and the absence of corroborative evidence, raised substantial doubt. The court held that, although convictions for rape may be based on the solitary evidence of the victim, such testimony must be cogent and wholly reliable. The prosecution’s case was undermined by the witness’s inability to recall critical facts, delays in disclosure, and contradictions, and the available medical evidenc