Old celebration picture resurfaces as jailed Sri Lanka police chief gets bail
It goes on to sarcastically thank Sri Lanka's ministers of justice and public security for police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon's release from jail after a magistrate in the southern city of Matara granted him bail (archived link).
"Many police officers who cannot do anything at all are in prison. Thanks to your support, Deshabandu can celebrate the new year," adds the post, which also shares a picture of him lighting a fire in apparent celebration with family.
Tennakoon was appointed Inspector General of Police in November 2023, despite Sri Lanka's highest court ruling that he had tortured a suspect in custody.
A court ordered his arrest in February for authorising an ill-fated raid which triggered a gun battle between rival police units in the coastal resort town of Weligama. An officer was killed in the shoot-out.
He went on the run for two weeks before turning himself in mid-March.
Legislators had voted unanimously to open a formal investigation into his conduct, and he is widely expected to be impeached unless he resigns (archived link).
Similar Facebook posts also shared the picture following Tennakoon's release on bail on April 10, four days before Sri Lanka celebrates its traditional New Year.
But a reverse image search on Google found the photo was posted on his Facebook account on April 14, 2024 (archived link).
It was part of an album showing the police chief marking the occasion with his family and was captioned in Sinhala: "Celebrated the New Year 2024 at home".
A review of Tennakoon's Facebook account shows the latest post was on February 4, and does not mention New Year celebrations after his release.
AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the controversial police chief.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Police worker gets misconduct warning over handling of 999 call before four deaths
A police staff member has been given a final written warning for misconduct over their handling of a 999 call made by a man before he apparently killed three family members and himself. Officers found the bodies of Bartlomiej Kuczynski, 45, his two daughters Jasmin Kuczynska, 12, and eight-year-old Natasha Kuczynska and their aunt Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, on January 19 2024. The four were all found inside a property in Allan Bedford Crescent in Costessey, Norfolk. Post-mortem examinations recorded that all four died of neck wounds. The deaths of the two girls and their aunt were being treated as murder, while the death of Mr Kuczynski was not being treated as suspicious. Norfolk Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the killings. The force had received a 999 call from Mr Kuzcynski on the morning of January 19 but officers were not deployed to the address until an hour later when police were called by a concerned dog walker, watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. In an audio recording of the call, Mr Kuczynski said: 'I am walking with the knife, I have just lost the plot.' Mr Kuczynski expressed concerns about his own mental state and said he was confused. The call handler advised him to seek medical advice and police did not attend the property as a result of the call. When questioned as part of the IOPC investigation, the call handler said he did not hear the word 'knife' and would have acted differently had he done so. The call handler was initially suspended but returned to work following a review and was put on restricted duties. Norfolk Police said on Friday that a member of staff had been given a final written warning following a misconduct investigation into the handling of the 999 call. The force said in a statement: 'The IOPC investigation concluded the call handler had a case to answer for misconduct based on their handling of the call and failing to record their risk assessment in their decision-making. 'The force accepted this conclusion, and a misconduct meeting was held on June 26 2025 where the chair determined misconduct to be proven and issued a final written warning for 12 months.' The misconduct meeting was not held in public. Norfolk Police said that the worker remains employed by the force as a member of police staff, and is no longer on restricted duties. A full inquest into the deaths is anticipated to take place in 2026 pending the completion of a Domestic Homicide Review.
San Francisco Chronicle
30 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Veteran federal judge T.S. Ellis III, who presided over trial of Trump aide Paul Manafort, has died
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Federal judge T.S. Ellis III, whose legal scholarship and commanding courtroom presence was evident in numerous high-profile trials, has died after a long illness. He was 85. Ellis oversaw the trials of former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former U.S. Rep. William 'Dollar Bill' Jefferson as well as the plea deal of 'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh across a judicial career that lasted more than 35 years. His acerbic wit sometimes drew muted complaints at the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where Ellis was based, but his legal reasoning was unquestioned. Ellis died Wednesday at his home in Keswick, according to the Cremation Society of Virginia. Thomas Selby Ellis III was born in Colombia in 1940 and frequently found ways in court to utilize his Spanish-language skills. He often told Spanish-speaking defendants who relied on interpreters to speak up as they pleaded for leniency, saying he wanted to hear their words for himself. He joined the Navy after receiving an undergraduate degree from Princeton, and completed graduate studies at Oxford. He received his law degree from Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. He was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In a courthouse known as the 'Rocket Docket' for its speedy disposition of cases, Ellis' courtroom reflected his iconoclastic nature. Rarely did his hearings start on time, though when he presided over jury trials his punctuality improved as he zealously guarded jurors' time commitments. He frequently chastised lawyers to cut short long-winded arguments, in what he called 'a concession to the shortness of life.' But he was easily coaxed or diverted into telling stories from the bench recalling episodes from his long legal career. He snapped at lawyers who annoyed him, but would often adopt a more conciliatory tone later in the same hearing, and apologize for his short temper. His penchant for speaking freely drew raised eyebrows at what was arguably the highest-profile trial over which he presided: the prosecution of Manafort, on charges of tax and bank fraud related to his work advising pro-Russia Ukrainian politicians before managing Trump's campaign. Ellis ultimately delivered a 47-month sentence, and said as an aside that Manafort appeared to have lived 'an otherwise blameless life,' a phrase he often used at criminal sentencings. Critics who found much to blame in Manafort's long career working for clients including the tobacco industry and international despots were outraged by the comment. In 2009, Ellis sentenced Jefferson, a former Louisiana congressman, to 13 years in prison for taking bribes, including $90,000 found hidden in his freezer. The case threw multiple curveballs at Ellis, including a sexual relationship between a key witness and an investigating FBI agent. In 2017, Ellis reduced Jefferson's sentence to time served after a Supreme Court case changed the rules for what constitutes bribery of public officials. He made clear, though, that he believed Jefferson's actions were criminal, and called his conduct 'venal.' 'Public corruption is a cancer,' he said at the time of Jefferson's resentencing. 'It needs to be prosecuted and punished.' Ellis' sentencing hearings often followed a familiar script in which he invited defendants to explain themselves 'by way of extenuation, mitigation, or indeed anything at all' that they wanted to say on their behalf. He invariably told defendants before passing judgment that 'you write the pages to your own life story.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stash of drugs and terrifying weapons discovered after cops follow stolen car
Police who followed a stolen car in east Manchester uncovered a stash of potentially deadly weapons. Officers from Greater Manchester's anti-crime unit Operation Venture spotted a stolen car in Manchester city centre yesterday (Thursday). It eventually stopped on Mount Road in Gorton where two occupants made off on foot, the force said. READ MORE: Terror in Manchester street as innocent strangers attacked READ MORE: England Euros star fined by Manchester court hours after trophy parade The driver was spotted entering a property on Tealby Road. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here Inside officers found numerous weapons including a 'ninja sword', a machete, and a knuckle duster with several blades. A ban on ninja swords came into force today (Friday, August) 1 which means it illegal to possess the weapon in public and private places. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Two suspected stolen Surron e-bikes were sezied. Cocaine, cannabis, cash and other drug paraphernalia were found inside the car. Two men, aged 22 and 25, and two women, aged 20 and 50, were arrested on suspicion of possession of class A and B drugs with intent to supply, possession of an offensive weapon, handling stolen goods and theft of a motor vehicle. Detective Inspector Roger Edwards said: 'Since Operation Venture's formation in 2022, officer have made significant progress in cracking down on violence and knife crime across Greater Manchester. 'These arrests show why we are out patrolling key areas to take dangerous weapons off the streets before they cause serious harm. 'With tighter government regulations now in force around the sale and possession of knives, it will enable us to ensure we can keep communities safe.' - For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.
