Jayasena Ekanayaka alias Austin vs Attorney General – CA/HCC/311/2018-2025

In Jayasena Ekanayaka alias Austin vs Attorney General, decided by the Court of Appeal of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on 03.04.2025, the court addressed the issue of evidentiary sufficiency and the necessity for corroboration in sexual abuse cases. It was determined that discrepancies in the prosecutrix’s testimony, particularly the failure to align with documentary evidence identified as document P4, and the misdirection in evaluating conflicting evidence led to the conclusion that the evidence did not meet the required standard for conviction. This decision relied on statutory provisions under Section 365B of the Penal Code and established case precedents concerning the reliability of uncorroborated testimony, emphasizing that compelling independent corroboration is es