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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan politician, 3 others get 20 years imprisonment for killing British tourist. The High Court of Colombo has awarded 20 years jail term to a ruling party politician and his three accomplices for killing a British tourist and raping his Russian girlfriend more than two years ago.
A 32-year-old International Red Cross aid worker Khuram Sheikh was shot and stabbed to death while his girlfriend Victoria was beaten unconscious before being sexually assaulted at a southern tourist resort on December 25, 2011.
The High Court Judge Rohini Walgama on Friday found a ruling party supporter and head of the council in Tangalle town Sampath Vidanapathirana and his three accomplices guilty of killing Khuram Sheikh and raping his girlfriend.
The court also fined them 20,000 rupees (£87.66) each and ordered them to pay 200,000 rupees ($1,500) each in compensation.
The case became a political case for Sri Lankan government and brought bad name to Sri Lankan tourism industry as accused politician was allegedly support by President of Sri Lanka and case was dragged by police on the alleged instructions of President. British government put its weight for justice for Khuram and relation between Sri Lanka and UK became very bitter over this high profile case.
“Justice for Khuram Sheikh” facebook comments as:
This was a severe and brutal attack on an innocent person who was on holiday in the tourist resort of Tangalle, Sri Lanka. There were seven individuals in custody over an 11 month period but then given bail by the magistrates in November 2012.
The Criminal Investigation Department have approximately 20-30 witness statements with a number of key accounts and forensic detail. The main suspect to the killing is a local politician from the current ruling party named Sampath Chandra Pushpa Vidanapathirana who is believed to have close connections with the Sri Lankan presidency. A close friend of the presidents son. This may hinder the investigation but we are in hope that it plays no part in the enquiry and an open and fair trial is conducted with justice achieved.
On looking closer to this ‘tourist’ holiday destination, it seems evident that mindless thugs connected to political parties cause disruption and mayhem at the expense of locals with a primary target of holiday makers. Such gangs are well known by name within these resorts; armed and intoxicated making them more dangerous and foreign nationals more vulnerable.
