The High Court has quashed the conditional release of a man arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a child.
The man, from an island in the South of the country, was arrested on the charges stipulated under the Special Provisions Act to Deal with Child Sex Abuse Offenders.His remand custody was extended several times.
He was remanded in custody pending trial, and charges were filed against him. Afterward, medical documents were submitted to the court on his behalf.
His defence argued that he was a disabled man and that he cannot go anywhere without help and hence should not be remanded pending trial.
The documents submitted to the lower court said that he was seeking treatment for several conditions, including kidney disease, heart disease, thyroid disease, and mental disease.
The documents also said that the defendant was arrested as he awaited tests to confirm whether or not he had cancer.
The magistrate granted the suspect conditional release from police custody to facilitate doctors' appointments and medical tests.It conditioned that the suspect should not have any contact with the victim, the victim’s family and friends, and must make himself available for court appointments.
The state the lower court's decision at the High Court and the High Court moved to quash the order to release the suspect as the lower court was unable to point out the document which it refered to when granting conditional release to the suspect.
The High Court also quashed the order to release him on the grounds that he is still likely to influence the evidence.
