GAYAN HAPUACHCHIGE'S SHOCKING SEX ATTACK AT CAMBRIDGE BP GAS STATION

In July 2009, a disturbing incident unfolded at a BP service station located on Huntingdon Road in Cambridge, where a 16-year-old schoolgirl became the victim of a heinous sexual assault carried out by Gayan Hapuachchige, an illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka. The young girl, whose identity is protected by law, recounted her traumatic experience during the trial, expressing her anger and frustration over the relatively lenient sentence handed to her attacker.

According to her testimony, she was in Cambridge that day, feeling the urgent need to use the restroom. She entered the facilities at the Pace garage, a location she believed to be a safe place. However, her sense of security was shattered when Hapuachchige, aged 28, followed her into the toilet and subjected her to a sexual assault. She described the terrifying moment: "I was about to come out through the door when he pushed me back in. He started touching me and kept telling me it was OK, saying 'I'm not doing anything wrong.'"

The girl was visibly shaken and frightened during her account, revealing her immediate reaction was one of shock and fear. Despite her distress, she managed to summon help by quickly dialing her two friends who were outside the restroom. She explained, "I just pressed last call dialed. We’d been having a slumber party and had gone to meet another friend. He saw me making the calls and stopped."

When she finally emerged from the toilet, her friends were waiting outside. Hapuachchige, attempting to justify his actions, claimed he was 17 years old, which he believed might influence the situation. Nevertheless, the police swiftly apprehended him, and he was subsequently convicted of sexual assault at Cambridge Crown Court. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, a sentence that many, including the victim, felt was insufficient given the severity of his actions.

Following his conviction, Hapuachchige was ordered to be deported once he completes his sentence. He has also been registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of ten years. However, because he has already served approximately nine and a half months in detention on remand, there is a possibility that he could be released in the very near future. The victim expressed her dismay at the sentence, stating, "I don’t think it’s long enough for what he did. It’s been awful for me and I am scared to go out. He has damaged my life."

Authorities and police officials praised the bravery of the young girl, with Detective Constable Karen Brown emphasizing the importance of her courage. She said, "This was a frightening situation for a young girl to be put into. It’s not what you expect when you try to use the facilities of a garage in a place you are meant to be safe. She was very upset, of course, but she has been a very brave girl throughout. She has had a lot of support from specially trained officers."

The girl herself also spoke out, encouraging other victims of sexual assault to come forward and seek help. She expressed her gratitude towards the police, saying, "They have been absolutely fantastic. They have really been great and were there for me every step of the way."

In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Pace Petroleum, the company that owns the Huntingdon Road garage, issued a statement. They confirmed that the individual involved no longer works at the station, nor does his employer, the retailer at that location. The company stated, "We were made aware of some issues around staff employment at this site. As soon as the issue was discovered, we, Pace Petroleum, took steps to resolve it and ensured that the retailer and various members of his staff were removed, having been identified as not being legally allowed to work in this country."