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Sri Lankan politician to appeal conviction for murder of British national

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has fixed a date for the appeal case of a Sri Lankan politician who stands accused of murdering a British national and raping his Russian girlfriend at a holiday resort in 2011.

Sampath Vidanapathirana, a close associate of 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.

The case faced several delays as well as Mr Vidanapathirana being released on bail and reinstated to his political post as Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman of Tangalle.

British MPs, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles, all called for justice for the killing, with Mr Vidanapathirana eventually being sentenced in July 2014.

His appeal will now be heard on October 2, reports The Island.

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