PTA-ER detainee discharged

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 02:10 GMT]
The East High Court Judge Mr.S.Paramarajah Wednesday discharged an accused who had been indicted in two cases one under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and another under Emergency Regulation (ER) when the prosecution withdrew the indictments on the instruction of the Attorney General, legal sources said.

The accused Jerome Weslie Martin was indicted in one case under the PTA for possessing a hand grenade and in the second case under the ER for failure to inform the police the movements of LTTE cadres in his area, sources said.

Indictments were served on the accused on 10th October 2001.

In both cases the prosecution solely depended on the confession purported to have been made by the accused when he was under the custody of the police, legal sources said.

Both cases came up for inquiry in the Trincomalee session of the East High Court, sources said. The State Counsel Mr.S.M.Halimdeen appeared for the prosecution