A Court of Appeal judgment has highlighted severe delays within Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system, revealing that a victim who was 11 years old when subjected to serious sexual abuse in 2001 was only able to testify before the High Court in 2023, around 22 years after the incident.

The Court noted that while the victim was a child at the time of the offence, he was 33 years old when he eventually gave evidence during the trial.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the offender’s appeal and upheld the convictions and sentences imposed by the High Court for kidnapping a minor from lawful guardianship and committing serious sexual abuse.