A temple incumbent found guilty of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy has been sentenced to 24 years of rigorous imprisonment by the court today (5 June).
The convicted individual, 40-year-old monk Polgampola Dharmaloka, served as the chief incumbent of Sri Seevali Chaityaramaya Vihara in Sivalakulam, Galenbindunuwewa. During court proceedings, it was revealed that the accused had repeatedly evaded court appearances, fled the area, and remained in hiding for a period of time.
The judgment was delivered by Judge Ruwan Dhammika Dissanayake, who previously served as Judge of the Anuradhapura Special High Court for Child Crimes and currently sits on the Central Provincial Civil Appeal High Court.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the convicted monk to pay compensation of Rs. 250,000 for each of the two charges, amounting to a total of Rs. 500,000, to the victim. The ruling further states that failure to pay the compensation will result in an additional two-year prison term.
The verdict marks the conclusion of a case involving the sexual abuse of a minor and underscores the judiciary’s commitment to addressing crimes against children.