Police official raped young girl - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 September 1998, 21:38 GMT]
A Sinhala language news paper, Yukthiya, has threatened to expose some police officials, who are, according to the paper, trying to cover-up a case of sexual abuse by another Sri Lankan policeman.

The paper, in its issue dated 13. September said that a twelve year-old girl working as maid at a retired police officer's house in Seethuva was sexually molested by his son, who is a serving police official at Nugegode.

The girl, said to be from a very poor family in Anuradhapura district, was brought to the retired officer's house by a police officer working in Anrajapura, said the paper.

The girl reached puberty while residing and working at her master's house, and the policeman had allegedly assaulted her when she was alone at his house.

Traumatised by the incident, the girl described the incident to an elderly lady, who visited the house. The elderly lady then relayed the story to the girl's masters. However, as a result, the girl had been then severely beaten up by the latter and sent back to her parents, the paper reported

The girl's parents subsequently complained to the police head quarters about the incident.

The police officers in Seethuve who were instructed to investigate the case by their superiors, showed some interest in the matter initially in that they arrested and held the suspect in custody, but as time went by, they changed their minds and set him free said the paper.

In the meantime, the competent medical authority, Mr. Anandha Samarasekara, who examined the girl at Ragama hospital, confirmed the alleged assault had taken place to the Negombo magistrate, and recommended that the girl be provided police protection.

This development which coincided with the release of the suspect, had angered the magistrate, who in return condemned the act in hard terms, and ordered the Seethuve police to produce the suspect in court on September the 28 along with a detail report on the matter.

The paper said local people in the area had accused the police of conspiring to play down the case, pointing out the delay in submitting the case files to the magistrate and the release of the suspect as part of this conspiracy.

Furthermore, paper has threatened to publish the names of the people involved, if drastic legal actions are not taken against the suspect. It says that anonymity is being preserved for the girl's safety.