Appeal Court upholds death sentence for Mel Gunasekara killer

The Court of Appeal has upheld the death sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court on a painter convicted of murdering journalist Mel Gunasekara at hers residence in Battaramulla in 2014.

The order was given by a bench of Justices of the Court of Appeal comprising Sampath Abeykoon and P. Kumaran Ratnam.

The Attorney General filed indictments against Arulananda Anthony Ramson George in the Colombo High Court on charges of trespassing, breaking and entering, robbing and stabbing journalist Mel Gunasekara to death at her residence in Subhuthipura, Battaramulla on February 2, 2014.

After a lengthy trial, on July 5, 2017, the Colombo High Court convicted the accused and sentenced him to death for murder and imprisonment for trespassing and robbery.

The convict later appealed to the Court of Appeal, seeking his acquittal from the sentence.

The lawyer who appeared for the accused at the hearing had stated before the Court of Appeal that the evidence presented by the prosecution against the accused was contradictory.

The lawyer also argued that the judge had not taken into consideration the facts presented by the defendants at the trial.

Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appearing for the Attorney General, stated before the Court of Appeal that the judgment of the Colombo High Court against the accused was lawful.

He pointed out that the prosecution was able to prove before the High Court the allegations leveled against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Deputy Solicitor General pointed out to the court that the video evidence of the accused entering the house of the deceased had been confirmed and that the DNA tests had proved that the accused had the victim’s blood on his clothes.

Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris also pointed out that the police had found the victim’s mobile phone in the accused’s possession at the time of his arrest.

Deputy Solicitor General requested the Court of Appeal to dismiss the appeal filed by the accused as the charges against him had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

After considering the facts presented, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Colombo High Court Judge had followed due process in pronouncing the sentence against the accused and ordered that the appeal of the accused be dismissed.

Mel Gunasekara (40), senior journalist was found dead with cut injuries at her home on 2 February, 2014, while her other family members were attending a weekly mass at a nearby church. Police arrested Anthony George, who had been previously hired by Gunasekara family to paint their house, over the killing. Gunasekara was stabbed to death when she attempted to resist the convict who broke into her house.