Henarangala Wadueliye Liyana Arachchige Gunarathne vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA/HCC/0102/22-2024

In Hon. Attorney General v. Henarangala Wadueliye Liyana Arachchige Gunarathne, the court addressed the reliability of eyewitness identification and the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence in a murder case. The appellant was convicted for the murder of Samantha Jagath Kumara, with central issues focused on the credibility of witness identification, considering the appellant was known to the witnesses, and the evaluation of an alibi defense. It was held that, notwithstanding some misdirection on eyewitness identification, the overwhelming circumstantial evidence—including forensic DNA analysis, physical evidence from the crime scene, and corroborative mobile phone records—firmly established the accused’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The appeal was dismissed, reaffirming the principle