The People v. The Accused-Appellant – CA APPEAL NO. 236/2008-2021

Brief
The case between Alankarage Lal Gunawardana (Accused-Appellant) and Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Colombo 12 (Respondent) addressed the issues of whether the trial court erred in evaluating the defence evidence, the reliability of identification of the accused-appellant, the establishment of the time of death based on the “last seen” theory, the correct application of principles governing circumstantial evidence, and the sufficiency of such evidence to support a conviction. The appellate court held that the conviction was justified based on the available evidence, finding no substantial miscarriage of justice. The applicable legal principles concerning circumstantial evidence were reviewed, including the dictum attributed to Lord Ellenborough, with emphasis th