da bwin： Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has pleaded for an out of courtsettlement after being accused of assaulting schoolboys last year, accordingto court officials
CricInfo29-Jul-2002Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has pleaded for an out of courtsettlement after being accused of assaulting schoolboys last year, accordingto court officials.Ranatunga, 39, who is now a member of parliament, his brother Prasanna andthree others, were charged on 36 counts of assaulting and detaining thestudents after an incident in March 2001.The seven teenagers, aged between 16-18, were playing a game of streetcricket outside Asoka College in Colombo. The incident occurred when theytried to retrieve their tennis ball after it fell into the Ranatunga familyhome.Ranatunga’s lawyers pleaded for an out of court settlement when the caseresume last Wednesday and the court have ordered them to work out a suitablecompensation package by Sept 27.The victims’ lawyers told the court that one of the students, 17-year-oldHirimuthuge Dilshan Danuska, has been forced to seek treatment because ofthe mental trauma induced by the assault.After the incident the Ranatunga family had complained that the students hasverbally abused their mother, arguing that political opponents had stagedthe confrontation and the demonstrations that had followed.Ranatunga would lose his seat in the parliament if convicted.