Sri Lanka, Oct. 1 -- The Homagama High Court yesterday (September 30) sentenced a Police Constable, convicted of sexually abusing a minor girl under the age of 16, to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.

High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe also imposed a fine of Rs. 25,000 on the defendant.

The Judge ordered that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six months of ordinary imprisonment.

The verdict was delivered yesterday following a prolonged trial on the charge of grave sexual abuse of a minor under 16 years of age.

Appearing for the prosecution, State Counsel Shainee Weerasuriya highlighted the extreme gravity of the crime, noting that the accused was a police officer, an individual entrusted with upholding justice,...