Sri Lanka, Oct. 28 -- Mohamed Shariff Adam Lebbe, alias 'Ghafoor Mama', the third defendant in the case involving the stockpiling of explosives and prohibited materials in Wanathawilluwa, has been sentenced to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The sentence was imposed today by a three-member bench of the Colombo High Court after the defendant pleaded guilty to five indictments filed against him.

The bench, comprising Justices Lal Ranasinghe Bandara, Rashmi Singappuli and Nayomi Wickramasinghe, ordered a 12-year prison term for each count, with all sentences to run concurrently.

However, the judges ordered that the seven-and-a-half years he had already spent in remand custody and under detention orders be deducted from the sentence. A...