^{British aid worker, Khuram Shaikh}

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has postponed the appeal case of a Sri Lankan politician and 3 others who were convicted of murdering a British aid worker and raping his Russian girlfriend at a holiday resort in 2011, to March 5. 

Sampath Vidanapathirana, the former chairman of Tangalle Prathesa Sabai and a close associate of the former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was convicted of the murder after the British aid worker Khuram Shaikh was shot and stabbed whilst on holiday in southern Sri Lankan on Christmas Day. 

Vidanapathirana was handed a 20-year jail sentence by the Colombo High Court in July 2014. 

^{Sampath Vidanapathirana}

The case has faced considerable delays with repeated accusations of political interference and witness intimidation. The accused was initially released and reinstated to his political post before being re-arrested following intense international pressure over the murder.

Then British Prime Minister David Cameron had cited the case as an example of Colombo’s failure to deliver justice and Prince Charles had reportedly taken a private interest in the case. 

The British High Commission in Colombo said in a statement,

"We hope that this will bring some closure for his family and friends who have faced a long and difficult fight for justice.”

The lawyer representing Mr Vidanapathirana had reportedly complained to the court about the lack of care to his client, who had two heart attacks whilst imprisoned.

Shaikh's then girlfriend, Victoria Tkacheva told the UK's Sunday Times at the time that she feared the men responsible would never be held accountable, commenting,

“I know if Khuram was in my place he would go on to the end... That’s what I must do too”.

She went on to state that she was ready to give evidence at trial, but was doubtful of accountability, given that the suspects, including Sampath Chandra Pushpa Vidanapathirana, head of the local council in Tangalle and close associate of the ruling Rajapaksa family, were freed on bail and the politician reinstated to his post before the eventual conviction.

Tkacheva recounted the horrific attack, which saw her raped and left with a fractured skull and her boyfriend, Red Cross worker Shaikh shot dead.

“I couldn’t even see them. They started beating me. I fell to the ground — I was covering my head with my arms so I couldn’t see anybody,” 

“It was next to the pool. It was so sudden, they were kicking and punching.”

“I was trying to escape from the pool but they were not letting me.”

“I got out from another side of the pool and in a few steps I found Khuram lying on the ground. I ran to him and started to call his name but he wasn’t responding."

“I tried to make him conscious, trying mouth-to- mouth, but there was nothing I could do to make him conscious,”

“When I couldn’t bring him round I screamed very loud from helplessness and then I think I lost consciousness because I don’t remember anything else.”

Tkacheva says she blanked out at this point, with her next memory waking up in a hospital wearing a blood stained T-shirt, without her dress or underwear. She had been raped.

“You try not to think that could have happened but it’s disgusting because they killed Khuram and sexually assa