Sri Lankan IT manager sentenced to life in US

LONDON: A New York-based Sri Lankan IT manager has been sentenced to life by a US court for killing his fellow countryman here seven years ago.
 
Balagurubavan Balakrishnabharthy (26), who murdered Arvinthan Muthukumararasamy, was sentenced to Life at the Old Bailey here to serve a minimum of 15 years, the Metropolitan Police said on Monday night.
 
He would be deported to his country on his release.
 
Earlier, two others -- Sivageethan Punniyamoorthy, from  Mersey Walk in Northolt in the UK and Senthamil Thillainathan from Chatworth Avenue in Wembley -- were found guilty in the case and both sentenced to life imprisonment.
 
According to the prosecution, on June 17, 2001, five Sri Lankan men were attacked as they sat in their Vauxhall Calibra in Ealing Road in Wembley.
 
All five victims had been playing cricket in Alperton in the afternoon and had gone to a video shop in the Ealing Road to get a video and buy some drinks.
 
A silver Audi pulled up with a number of occupants inside including Balakhrishnabharthy and they attacked the occupants of the Vauxhall Calibra with swords, axes and metal poles.
 
The rear middle passenger was struck twice across the top of the head with an axe and was pronounced dead later. He was identified as 25-year-old Aravinthan Muthucumarasamy. The front seat passenger nearly had his hand severed and all the
other occupants were seriously injured.
 
An investigation was launched and a number of arrests were made, eventually leading to two individuals being charged with the murder of Muthucumarasamy and attempted murder of four others.