Police in Cambridgeshire are appealing for the public’s assistance in locating a 55-year-old man from Littleport, Ely, who is now wanted after failing to appear for his sentencing on child sex offence charges.
Nalika Ranasinghe was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday (20 March) and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Ranasinghe was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with who he believed was a 14-year-old girl online. The court heard that he exchanged over 1,200 inappropriate messages with what turned out to be a decoy account set up by an online child safety group, despite the ‘child’ stating her age from the outset.
Following his conviction, Ranasinghe was released on court bail but did not attend his sentencing hearing. Detective Sergeant Mike Paget emphasised the seriousness of the situation.
“Ranasinghe poses a significant risk to children, which is reflected in the sentence, and we are keen to arrest him as soon as possible so he goes to prison,”
Police are urging anyone who has seen Nalika Ranasinghe or has any information regarding his current whereabouts to contact them immediately. They are asking the public to call 101 quoting the relevant crime reference number, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
