Nilanthilage Amila Sudarshana Silva vs Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC 0307/2024-2025

In the matter of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Complainant) v. Nilanthilage Amila Sudarshana Silva (Accused-Appellant), the court addressed the excessiveness of a sentence for grave sexual abuse. The Appellant was convicted of grave sexual abuse under section 365B (2)(b) of the Penal Code, a lesser offense than rape, and received a sentence of 14 years rigorous imprisonment, a fine, and compensation. The High Court’s application of the reasoning from *Dickson Nihal Appuhamy v Attorney General* was upheld. The appeal was partially allowed to deduct 10 months of remand custody from the sentence, with the term of imprisonment to commence from the date of conviction. The court reaffirmed that stern sentences are necessary for sexual offenses against children, while still cons