News
Victoria injured when a suspect threw piece of a broken bottle at her: Witness
A guest present at ‘The Nature’ hotel Tangalle when British national Khuram Shaikh was gunned down on Christmas Day in 2011, this week told the Colombo High Court how the victim’s fiancé Victoria was beaten up by the suspects in the case.In his evidence a private sector employee, B. Samarasinha who stayed overnight at the hotel with his family told the court he saw a suspect in this case attacking the Russian woman Tkacheva Victoria Alexandra by throwing at her a jagged piece of a bottle he had broken.
The accused in this case are charged with the murder of Shaikh, the alleged gang rape and attempted murder of his fiance Alexandra.
The suspects are Obada Arachchige Lahiru Kelum, U. Saman Deshapriya, Sampath Vidanapathirana (former Chairman (UPFA) of the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha), Weerappulige Praneeth Chathuranga, Mohottige Sarath and Saranaarachchi Patabendige Chanuka Chathuranga.
The trial was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Rohini Walgama this week. Senior State Counsel Thusith Mudalige was leading the evidence of the witness.
“I saw Victoria embracing the foreigner (Shaikh) who had fallen on the ground. One of them (the first accused Kelum) beat her up while another brought a burning piece of wood plucked from a Christmas fireplace decoration and attacked her with it,” he said.
“When I was trying to take my car out of the park to drive the injured foreigner to hospital one of the suspects came charging at me to assault me. I told him the vehicle I am driving is a rented one and not to damage the vehicle. He then went on to damage another vehicle and other equipment in the hotel,” the witness said.
He said that between 12 midnight and 1 a.m. he heard persons using foul language and went out of his room to see what the commotion was.
He said he saw a foreign woman being beaten up and saw her jumping into the swimming pool to escape further attack.
“I saw one of the men breaking a whisky bottle against a wall and throwing a part of the bottle at the foreign woman. It struck her face and she was bleeding. Another man jumped into the pool and assaulted the woman,” the witness said.
He said he saw the foreign woman coming out of the pool and going towards the foreign man fallen on the ground. “She embraced the fallen man and cried ‘my life, my life’”, he said.
He said he witnessed the foreign woman being assaulted and one of the suspects attacking her with a burning piece of wood.
He said thereafter he saw the gang of five or six men causing damage in the hotel by smashing plates, lights and glasses.
The winess said that as he walked to the side of the car park one of the hotel workers appealed to him to take the foreigner to the hospital and he agreed to do so.
Mr. Samarasinha said, however, he could not take his car out of the park as a van and a three-wheeler were parked in such a way he could not take his vehicle out. He said one of the gang members damaged the three-wheeler and the van.
He said he saw the gang driving away in a van.
The witness said when he returned to his room later he found that the foreigners had been taken to hospital.
The trial will continue on Monday.