Police attempt to arrest senior lawyer over Mount Lavinia court incident

Police officers visited the residence of a senior attorney connected to the Mount Lavinia Court incident to arrest him over his alleged verbal abuse, threats, and obstruction of a police officer during a dispute on October 10, 2025.

According to police sources, the arrest attempt was made after investigators reviewed video footage showing the senior lawyer verbally abusing and threatening the same police officer who was allegedly involved in the assault on another attorney a short while earlier. However, when officers visited his residence in Boralesgamuwa, the lawyer was not present. Police say steps are being taken to locate and arrest him.

The incident began on October 10, when a lawyer was reportedly assaulted by a police officer while attempting to move his car out of the Mount Lavinia Court premises. The officer was later arrested by Mount Lavinia Police, produced before court, and remanded until today (October 13) as the situation caused unrest and disrupted court proceedings.

Subsequent investigations revealed that soon after the alleged assault, another senior lawyer, now wanted by police, verbally abused, threatened, and obstructed the same police officer. The incident was captured in video footage that has since circulated on social media and was later handed over to the police as case evidence. Several witnesses who were at the scene have already given statements to the Mount Lavinia Police.

In a press release issued yesterday (October 12), the Police Media Division confirmed that the lawyer had verbally abused and attempted to use criminal force against a police officer on duty. The footage also shows him attempting to contact Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya, claiming to know him personally. However, police clarified that no phone conversation took place between the lawyer and the IGP, and that the IGP had not intervened in any way.

After being informed of the incident, the IGP instructed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the Mount Lavinia Division and the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Mount Lavinia Police to conduct a proper investigation. He later directed the Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to carry out a separate inquiry into how the officers handled the situation.

Meanwhile, the trial related to the October 10 incident is scheduled to resume today (October 13), while the search for the senior attorney continues under the supervision of the SSP of the Mount Lavinia Division.