Nagendran Thevan Wijeyananda alias Nagendran Deva Wijeya Nanda Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC 0036/2023-2025

This case involves an appeal filed by Nagendran Thevan Wijeyananda alias Nagendran Deva Wijeya Nanda (Accused-Appellant) against a conviction by the High Court of Negombo. The Appellant was indicted by the Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent) on charges of kidnapping from lawful guardianship and two counts of grave sexual abuse of an 8-year-old victim. The High Court convicted the Appellant, sentencing him to rigorous imprisonment and fines, with sentences running concurrently, and ordered compensation. The appeal raised four main grounds: significant contradictions in prosecution evidence, denial of a fair trial due to lack of an interpreter, the trial judge concluding the case before analyzing defence evidence, and lack of corroboration for the victim’s evidence. The Court of Appeal