Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela yesterday (27) remanded former Municipal Councillor of the Kotte Municipal Council until August 2 who was arrested and produced in Court for allegedly trying to sexually molest a female principal after exposing himself while she was at the Welikada Police Station where she had gone to check out a complaint.
The former Municipal Councillor of the Kotte Municipal Council, was remanded. Producing the suspect in court, the Welikada Police said that they received a complaint on March 23,2023 regarding a news posting on the Internet through a WhatsApp account defaming a school in the Nawala area.
Police said further that in order to investigate the complaint, five or six people, including the principal, parents and teachers and the suspect municipal councillor had been summoned to the police station and the suspect was released after a settlement was reached and a warning issued.
The suspect municipal councilor had while leaving the police station, near the canteen had released the zipper of his trousers and exposed himself to the principal.
The incident was recorded by the teachers on their mobile phones and the police mentioned before court that the Welikada police received a complaint regarding this incident. Police said the Municipal Councillor had been asked to come to investigate this complaint, several times, but he had avoided the Police and yesterday (27) the suspect was arrested after surrendering to the police and produced in court.
The attorney who appeared for the Municipal Councillor stated before court that these videos had been edited. The police informed court that the mobile phones belonging to the teachers have been forwarded to the Computer Division of the Criminal Investigation Department calling for a report regarding the relevant scenes.
The Welikada Police also stated in court that charges were filed against the Municipal Councillor under the charges of sexual harassment at the Police Station which is a public place and obstructing the duties of government employees. After considering the relevant facts, the Magistrate ordered the suspect to be remanded until the second of next month.
Siranjani Kumari