Taxi driver sentenced to ten years in prison in Rhode Island for raping underage girl

A taxi driver has been sentenced to ten years in prison by the High Court in Colombo for raping an underage girl nearly a decade ago.

The 35-year-old man was accused of sexually abusing the girl, who lived in a rented house near his residence and was preparing for the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination.

Delivering the verdict today, Chief Justice Aditya Patabendige also ordered that the convict should pay a fine of Rs 10,000 and pay Rs 50,000 in compensation to the victim.

The Supreme Court judge also ruled that if the compensation is not paid, it will be collected as an additional fine. If the convict fails to pay this fine, he will be sentenced to an additional two years in prison.