Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayasiri vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA APPEAL NO.331/2007-2013

In the case between Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayasiri (Accused-Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Colombo 12 (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the conviction and death sentence imposed on the accused-appellant for the murder of Tellemulle Hettiarachchige Dulani Shiromala were legally justified. It was held that the minor misdirections alleged in the trial judge’s summing up did not occasion substantial prejudice or a miscarriage of justice sufficient to overturn the conviction. The principle reaffirmed is that appellate intervention is unwarranted unless an error materially affects the verdict or results in a miscarriage of justice. Reliance was placed on provisions such as Section 105 of the Evidence Ordinance and Section 334 of