By Colombo Telegraph –
The Venerable Pahalagama Somaratana
Ven.Pahalagama Somaratana, 65, of Dulverton Road, Croydon was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on today,Tuesday, 1, May, of four counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 between January 01, 1977 and December 31,1978 at an address in Chiswick.
He will be sentenced at the same court on 1 June.
He was found not guilty of the rape of a female under 16 between January 1,1977 and December 31,1978 at an address in Chiswick and not guilty of indecent assault on a female under 14 between January 01,1985 and December 31, 1986 at an address in Croydon.
In May 2010 Child Abuse Investigation Command officers began an investigation into historical allegations of indecent assault and rape. On Tuesday, 14 September 2010 a (then) 64-year-old monk was arrested on suspicion of an historical indecent assault and rape. He was questioned at Heathrow police station and later bailed pending further enquiries
He was charged on 12 September 2011 and further charged on 11 November 2011.
On Friday, 23 September Pahalagama Somaratana thero chief incumbent of Thames Buddhist Vihara, of Dulverton Road, Croydon appeared on bail at Feltham Magistrates’ Court charged with rape of female under 16 between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick and indecent assault on a female under 16 between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick.
Pahalagama Somaratana Thero, has been charged with another eight counts of sexual abuse on Friday, 11 November, the London Metropolitan police told Colombo Telegraph. According to the metropolitan police these eight indecent assaults on a female under 14 took place between January 01,1985 and December 31,1986 at an address in Croydon.The 65-year-old Pahalagama Somaratana thero appeared on bail at Feltham Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 2 December and was bailed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on December 20, 2011.
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Roy / May 2, 2012
There are so many VALnarables go unnoticed , imagine molesting under 14s in Uk ,How about in Srilanka it would have gone as a blessing.
He should be given life and monks should be monitored. Monks are going wild , Dambulla incident showed a clear video.
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Malith / May 2, 2012
Look, no point in trying to defend the monk. There are many monks like this. They are human beings too. Eating drinking people and not Saints. Ok these girls came to the temple. Correct.. Where was the parents? They came to the temple alone? Never leave your kids even with a monk.. They too have the tool that rise. These are the monks that gives a bad name for our Noble Religion. Many high priest around the World does many things worse than this but no body comes forward to report. I know another high monk in a western Country and regarded as a very high priest who went and pinched a Mexican ladies butt while climbing stairs. The husband of the lady was going to report the incident but paid over $ 25,000 to keep his mouth shut. That guy demanded more money periodically and this became a problem for this high priest. Some how he manged to get away with it. There’s another priest, who is keeping a lady in a comfortable apartment and he pays all the bills for her and visits from the neighboring state every weekend to look into the needs of this lady. A larger percentage of monks who are established in western countries are living a very luxuries life and has forgotten spreading Buddhism. Give me one temple which conducts proper Sunday schools for children and gives meditation classes. If they have come to spread Buddhism in these countries, how many can preach Dhamma in English? How many non Buddhist have they converted? Let me tell you, these monks are running a business. Ask the Californians and find out how many temples are completely run as religious institutes and how many of them are trying their best to make money. These a Joke. There is no regulatory authority to monitor which priest is able to spread Buddhism in another country and which one is not. Over 90% of monks who are suppose to be spreading Buddhism in western world are from down south of Sri Lanka(business minded). They are only interested in making money. When are real good priest arrives, the monks don’t even let him stay in their temples.
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S.D Dharmasena / May 2, 2012
When a buddhist monk is cinvicted, lot of bad remarks can be seen in various papers. But when an other religious priest is found guilty , no such big voice can be heard. Why this ? Just few years ago there was a jugment delivered in one of American courts,convicting A Srilankan Christian Father for commiting homo sexual action. But no comments about that incident in Sri Lankan papers or foreign countries. Why this? This situation should understand all buddhits.These are acts of well organized anti buddhist peoples.Offenders should be punished. There is no question about that.But our buddihism should not be tarnished . Ours is a only more democratic religion in thr world. No forcing anybody to follow buddhism. We have right to criticize our own or religion leaders .if they commit bad activities. WE can argue about Buddha’s preachings, if they are not logical. Can u see any other religion has this fundamental right. Before making any nasty remarks on Buddhism, pl lookafter your own religious leaders.
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Roy / May 2, 2012
We had a good friend who was a buddhist priest,who comes for a drink in the evenings, We treated him like a human being who was a hilarious character ,he used to tell us what goes on his daily life, how people bow down on his feet etc he used to say that he is helpless and it goes on and on,and some of the priest take advantage and take young women and children for a ride.
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Dave / May 2, 2012
I will bow down to Val.Somaratne ,please do not relocate us.
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Dave / May 2, 2012
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy
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NoEalamInSL / May 2, 2012
There are mountains of charges of rape and child abuse against Catholic priests and Christian priests in EU and USA. Those western states try to attack Buddhist priests to cover up Western shame. When recent rapes (the French man (the IMF chief rape case http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/16/editorial-imf-chief-on-rape-charges ) who said to be raped room maid in USA was discharged even with evidences of sperms). That rape couldnt be proved, how can they prove a rape of 32 years old (1977-78) rape case? This is ridiculous!
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Thissa / May 2, 2012
Irish PM addressed the issue nationaly/internationally in parliment 2011
We aught to follw suite, as its beyond abuse when it comes to SL Buddism.
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svinson / May 2, 2012
i am buddhist
remove those monks and take to the court, if you want to protect buddhism in sri lanka
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svinson / May 2, 2012
no need to protect monks , if they harm small children.
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TomsamUsa / May 2, 2012
Please let us know if pakse thug is sending s barber,preferably a female, to shave this guy’s top and bottom daily in prison.
What is he getting as vasak present.
Atleast a belly dancer would be a preferred gift.
Jeyavewa.
sadu,sadu sadu.
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TomsamUsa / May 2, 2012
My experience in bikkhu ward of CGH is pretty much a same.
Mostly night rounds are stalled till the smoking time is ovr; then it would teen age boys have to exit from behind the saffron screens.
Thank my BIL for packing me off to USA 45 years ago.
ps
I failed 3rd std sinhala exam also and lost seniority and salary increase!
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Merata yaka / May 2, 2012
There may be other side to this story. Why they were silent for 34 years ?
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Merata yaka / May 2, 2012
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We can not print any information which could lead to the identification of the alleged victim.
CT
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Thissa / May 2, 2012
Must be firm on under age conscription
(youn brains are very suseptable, saw what tigers did)
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Aruna Ranasinghe / May 2, 2012
If this was happend this monk would have been caught earlier and punished.
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laksiri / May 3, 2012
this is the animal with yellow clothes need to burnish Maximum with in the law.such animal are serious insulting to human and need to be even give death penalty.this is happening in Sri Lanka in daily basis AND LAWLESS NATION IS NOT GOING TO STOP SUCH ACTION BUT THE COUNTIES RULE WITH LAW CAN NOT KEEP SUCH INHUMAN ACTION AND NEED TO STOP.
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Ignorant / May 3, 2012
Most comments here seem to come through coloured glasses of being “belonging” one religion or the other. When people have “invested” so much over the entire lifetime on a religion by way of faith, time, effort, money, etc. etc., it really hurts to see their religion or it’s public faces (e.g. monks) being rediculed like in this instance. There only two ways to console themselves. (1) Say “these things happen in other religions too, so people shouldn’t single out our’s”. (2) Say “oh.. this is just one bad egg.. doesn’t mean our religion isn’t perfect”.
No one seems brave enough to see through all these and say “all religions as we know seem to be fallible, so avoid disappointment by not investing heavily on these!!!”.
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Ranjith Chandrasekera / May 3, 2012
I agree with S Mahinda, there are many other areas taken over by Muslims after building Mosques or pretending Muslim cultural centres or arabic schools. This tactic was accelerated way back in late 1960’s and now they are claiming those places as historical muslim settlements. A good example is Kirulapona area in Colombo 6.
In 1960’s muslims bought a piece of land surrounded by Sinhalese and mostly Buddhist settlement to build a arabic teaching school. At that time there was only one Muslim family living on rented house close to the property bought for the mosque .Today, almost whole area is taken over by Muslims displacing the Sinhalese by acquiring their land. No body wants to live in a place with high volume noise pollution from loudspeakers five times a day and heavy traffic and pedestrian activity on Fridays by those who patronise the Mosque. They have no ethics or any concern of the residence a d would conveniently park their vehicles across entrance to properties. This harassment have no choice for other non muslim residence but to leave the area.
Once a mosque is establish there is no doubt that the area will become a muslim settlement. There are several other areas in Colombo similar to Kirulapona, and some of them are Dehiwela and Nawal where the land grab is very clearly noticed.
They have already introduced Halal meat, Halal Banking etc. It is tragic that in a country with majority Buddhist people living has animal slaughter according muslim rights that make animals feel agonizing death by make to bleed and suffer a slow death.
In another two decades Sri Lanka will have Sharia Law and will be controlled by the law of Islam. Many other Buddhist countries are erased from the map and now they are Muslim countries governed by Islam Law, some of them are Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangaladesh.
Hope many people remember how Taliban destroyed hisrorical Buddha statues in Afganistan without leaving any trace of historical monuments of Buddhists.
Sinhalese are an endangered race threatened by non other than Muslims.
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Ranjith Chandrasekera / May 3, 2012
I agree with S Mahinda, there are many other areas taken over by Muslims after building Mosques or pretending Muslim cultural centres or arabic schools. This tactic was accelerated way back in late 1960’s and now they are claiming those places as historical muslim settlements. A good example is Kirulapona area in Colombo 6.
In 1960’s muslims bought a piece of land surrounded by Sinhalese and mostly Buddhist settlement to build an arabic teaching school. At that time there was only one Muslim family living on rented house close to the property bought for the mosque .Today, almost whole area is taken over by Muslims displacing the Sinhalese by acquiring their land. No body wants to live in a place with high volume noise pollution from loudspeakers five times a day and heavy traffic and pedestrian activity on Fridays by those who patronise the Mosque. They have no ethics or any concern of the residence a d would conveniently park their vehicles across entrance to properties. This harassment have no choice for other non muslim residence but to leave the area.
Once a mosque is establish there is no doubt that the area will become a muslim settlement. There are several other areas in Colombo similar to Kirulapona, and some of them are Dehiwela and Nawal where the land grab is very clearly noticed.
They have already introduced Halal meat, Halal Banking etc. It is tragic that in a country with majority Buddhist people living has animal slaughter according muslim rights that make animals feel agonizing death by make to bleed and suffer a slow death.
In another two decades Sri Lanka will have Sharia Law and will be controlled by the law of Islam. Many other Buddhist countries are erased from the map and now they are Muslim countries governed by Islam Law, some of them are Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangaladesh.
Hope many people remember how Taliban destroyed hisrorical Buddha statues in Afganistan without leaving any trace of historical monuments of Buddhists.
Sinhalese are an endangered race threatened by non other than Muslims.
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ballo / May 3, 2012
THIS GUY IS A GOOD FRIEND OF THE OTHER CROOK EX MINISTER BOGOLLAGAMA BIGGEST HORA OF MAHINDA
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Bodinayaka / May 3, 2012
but Bogollagama didn’t rape children right? Neither MR. You see my friend. Some of us have a big problem. Just repeat what they hear without thinking. We call it “Lungi news broadcasters” . It’s inherited by most of our people. So you have to learn to sit in the “Gamea kopi kadea” and think a little while before you speak. If you cant just learn how to keep silent. Political people like MR and Bogollagama will be friends for anyone that’s the way they survive. That’s part of their political strategy. They will attaned the mass Buddhist pujas , they will attend hindu kovils, christian shrines and if invited they will go inside the Muslim Masjids. But the problem is you are not invited inside a Muslim mosque if you are not Muslim. That’s bad according to Muslim God Al Mighty. Even women are to be talk with God in a separate section. You guys have “zero” knowledge about politics and religion. Please for god’s sake learn or else your children will be too idiots like you.
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ballo / May 3, 2012
KAPILA J ANOTHER CROOK WHO HELPED THIS MAN
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The last dinasaur / May 3, 2012
I don’t know why the world is silent about the novice monks.. They are nearly children.. They don’t have the maturity to understand the teachings of Lord Budda.. They are forcefully enslaved to be monks..
The world is talking a lot about child soldiers.. I don’t understand that why it is silent to the sufferings of these poor children in the name of religion.
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suck / May 3, 2012
So kind to novices? Why so much? Looks ur tone much evangilical rather than merciful?
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The last dinasaur / May 4, 2012
Truth hursts… isn’t it.. But it is the truth…
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suck / May 7, 2012
truth? What? Absolute truth like God or conventional truth like virginity of Mary?
Has pope done anything to those pastrs and sister who abused thousands of kids?
Has succeeded any legal action to prove that?
Talk about if u want this incident without confucing everything?
Just thinks how many kids are abused bcz noone to care them in most of the cities? See how many of them are not given anything they wanna for their child life?
Without doing anything to, grabing small novince monks itself suggests who you are? what you want and where you are heading for?
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az / May 3, 2012
Good for Sri Lanka,
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Rajitha Hewamallikarachchi / May 3, 2012
Being a Sinhalese Londoner I personally know this case. The case is an entire fabrication perpetrated with the assistance of the Tamil Diaspora. Our Venerable Maha Thera was targetted for sometime by the Tamil Diaspora
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true srilankan / May 3, 2012
dont be a [Edited out]
he isnot guilty in Sl
but here u are proven guilty
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honest sinhala buddhist / May 3, 2012
Please dont blame everything on Tamils. They may be linked to terrorism but this is way beyond their specialities and quite frankly very sickenning!
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Sarath / May 3, 2012
It is understandable why people like Rajitha Hewamallikarachchi keep looking for excuses to exonerate monks even after they have been proven guilty in a court of law. If you accept that monks can behave badly, then what becomes of their teachings and the religion they represent? Monks are no longer only teaches of Buddhism but they are the protectors and owners of the religion. They act as if Buddhism and specially the physical property that belongs to Buddhism is an inheritance that is for their exclusive enjoyment; thus the Dambulla episode.
If you are to accept that their lives have been a lie then what about their teachings? Instead of racking your brain on it isn’t it simpler to continue to believe that others are all mistaken? Simple concept for a simple mind. Buddha was a very smart person, you know why? Because he said many people will not understand the essence of what he has leaned and he was right!
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Dolly Daydream / May 3, 2012
Clearly you don’t ! Your conspiracy theory only exists in your mind ! Stop inventing rubbish, stop blaming others & face reality instead !
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Justin / May 5, 2012
Rajitha,
I wonder how you became a Londoner!
Is it because you went to London because of the problems in your country?
OR, you went for economic advancement?
However, your attempt to defend this Monk even after a court found him guilty is not acceptable.
It is like trying to defend the SL Govt. against allegations of war crime.
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LHK Sumangala / October 21, 2012
Ranjith,
you are just a nut job from i dont know where, you just tell people what ever you think, 1 ) you are a resist 2) refuse to accept any thing that any Buddhist monk do, 3) or and may be you are a just a jerk and will accept an thing what the Buddhist Monks are doing,
you keep saying that you know, ( bullshit ). you just dont know any thing in human rights at all. this is my sister you ass hole,.. you see in the future your sister, your mother and even your daughter will get raped you, then go around saying to them and all others that it never happened and it was done by themselves you ass hole.
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true srilankan / May 3, 2012
Rajitha open your eyes
dont be a [Edited out]
GUILTY AS CHARGED
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true srilankan / May 3, 2012
IF IT WAS YOUR DAUGHGTER YOU WILL DO THE SAME prosecute.
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Ralf Sheldrake / May 3, 2012
….Shame dude… Damn Shame on Religion, Ethics, Morals, Civilization, Institutions, Authorities, Controlling Bodies, Governments, and Leaders….. let this be recorded as unforgivable ….. let Us & the private …. Mums & Dads protect our kids & the younger generation from these ‘”social & ‘cultural’ evils”‘…..
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Sarath / May 3, 2012
Unfortunately, in the Sri Lankan culture parents would rather have their children suffer in silence than have their religion and its leaders brought to disrepute. But hey, that doesn’t matter, right? We probably have the most number of songs praising our mothers.
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true srilankan / May 3, 2012
best thing to do is to move on and
protect your children from the clergy.
the more we talk about this rapist the more we srilankans are getting a bad name LET IT GO
JOB DON GUILTY AS CHARGED
THE LAW IS FOR ALL eVEN THE (SELECTED HIGH)
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Sarath / May 3, 2012
“Those who cannot (or will not) remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
It seems that to some what others think is more important than facing the reality.
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Nihal / May 3, 2012
Time has come to wake up all buddhist people and clean the Sanga sasuna from crook like this. This is not a first case in this nature, we had so many revelation of bad behaviours of monks in Sri Lanka, but blind buddhists neglected those for the sake of respect to the budda sasana. By neglecting these serious crimes againts monks whether in forign soils or in Sri Lanka will not bring any advancement of the budda sasana or its devotees. One day these crooks will create buddist cult similar to Thalaiban and bring blemish to clean thervada buddism.
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honest sinhala buddhist / May 3, 2012
It is amazing to see so many comments but none which address sense. He has been convicted and therefore guilty, nothing will change that and nothing will undo hurt brought to those affected.
-He will have to carry his own Karma, why are you worried?
-Why blame Tamils, Muslims and others? We all have to live together, is not that what Buddhism is all ablout?
-Most importantly, forgive those who do wrong, move on in life, seek inner peace…
-Learn something positive from these experiences and please refrain from blaming others, practise Buddhism, ALWAYS!
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