Polwaththegedera Widanalage Rohana Peiris v. The Attorney General – CA 155/2014-2014

The case between Polwaththegedera Widanalage Rohana Peiris (Accused-Appellant) and the Attorney General addressed whether the accused-appellant committed rape as charged under section 364(1) of the Penal Code, and whether a conviction by the High Court of Chilaw could be justified based on the prosecutrix’s uncorroborated testimony. It was held that the evidence of the prosecutrix, when reviewed for credibility and consistency, failed to establish lack of consent beyond reasonable doubt. This decision reaffirmed the principle that while a conviction for rape can be based on the uncorroborated evidence of the complainant, such evidence must be sufficiently credible and convincing. Reliance was placed on relevant case law emphasizing the need for rigorous scrutiny of testimony in the absence