Death sentence imposed on two assassins in Hamer case

The murder most foul took place almost around eight years ago when three men armed with knives and clubs stormed into a house at Frazer Avenue, Dehiwala at night and killed the father, his young daughter and the son by stabbing them with knives. Their bodies were found next morning lying on the floor of their rooms in pools of dried blood.

The three of them had bled to death while no one heard or saw while they were being stabbed to death. Not even the pump attendants at a petrol filling station close by heard their screams for help, police said.

OIC Dehiwala Police Station, Chief Inspector P.R.P Senanayake along with several other policemen investigated the triple murder. It was well orchestrated and pre-planned by the man named Harrison Jayaweera who ran a Chinese restaurant and a liquor bar in the building upstairs owned by the deceased Hamers. Austin Hamer, 79 lived in his three roomed small home in the same premises with his daughter Daisy, Ann Hamer (29) and Deeman Hamer (31) his son.

Hamer had rented out his premises to Jayaweera the businessman to run a Chinese restaurant and bar.

Sentence

Although he carried on with the business for some time, he defaulted the payment of rent to Hamer which led to a confrontation between both parties. Finally when the case was concluded at the High Courts Colombo last week, after a lengthy period of four years, the High Court Judge Colombo, W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa imposed the death sentence on businessman Harrison Jayaweera and a trishaw driver K. W. A. Sunil Shantha alias Ruwan who were found guilty after trial which lasted more than four years, The High Court Judge also remarked that Hamer’s murder as it was known, will go down in the annals of crime as a ruthless and an inhuman act.

Robbed

It was not only a ruthless murder of a helpless family but the assassins had also robbed them of cash and property worth more than rupees two lakhs. The assassins stole a wrist watch worth Rs 31,000 which was in the possession of Deeman Hamer and a bracelet worth more than Rs 1, 51,000 and a television set which was in the possession of Daisy Hamer.

Imprisonment

The High Court judge also imposed a 10-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs 81,000 on the two suspects and an additional three year sentence in default of the fine.

Sometime on May 8 2003 around 9.30. a.m. the Sunday Observer news desk received a call from someone regarding the triple murder at Frazer Avenue Dehiwela.

A team from the Sunday Observer news desk rushed to Dehiwala to gather information regarding the gruesome murder. By the time we arrived at Frazer Avenue Dehiwala, policemen from the Dehiwala were at the scene of the crime along with the Government Analyst making their observations. The house was cordoned off to prevent people from entering the home.

However, our photographer Priyantha Hettige managed to get inside the house with the permission of the police to photograph the scene of the crime.

He showed us the gruesome sight of the blood soaked bodies of the father, daughter and the son lying on the floor of their bed rooms with severe cut injuries.

We met a person named Boteju who was known to the Hamer family at the scene of the murder. He said people in the neighbourhood often call over at his home to pluck coconuts from his garden.

The Hamers were fond of dogs and they used to look after two stray dogs named Amma and Aiya whom they adopted. We found the two dogs lying in the verandah as if they were mourning the death of their adopted family.

Daisy Hamer occupied the front room of the home. She was employed at the Mount Lavinia Hotel where she worked for more than five years. Daisy Hamer's body was found under her bed with severe cut injuries covered with a mattress. Both her hands were tied behind her back with a rope. Deeman Hamer (31) the son was employed at the Sampath Bank Colombo. His body was found in the adjoining room. The police Finger-Print Experts had found three finger prints on the telephone and on the cupboards.

Rented

At the High Court trial it was revealed that the Hamers had rented out their premises to the first accused to run a Chinese restaurant at their premises. However, after some time the first accused defaulted the payment of rent to Hamers and had forcibly carried out the business.

He even had an idea of claiming ownership of the land by filing a case in courts and had searched for the original deeds.

On that fatal night the restaurant keeper Jayaweera along with Mahendran a domestic aide who worked for the Hamer family and Ruwan a trishaw driver had gone near the Hamers’ house and inquired about the original deed of the premises. When Hamer replied the deeds with his lawyers, the three men set upon him and attacked him with a pole.

When Hamer fell unconscious his body was dragged inside a room and was locked up. The three men thereafter had gone inside the house and had waited patiently until the arrival of the daughter and the son.

When Daisy Hamer arrived first that night, the assassins set upon her and attacked her with knives and killed her. Later, when Deeman Hamer arrived they attacked him with knives and killed him.

After the conclusion of the investigations, police forwarded the dossier to the Attorney General for an indictment.

On the instructions of the Attorney General, Mahendran was made a state witness who gave a complete account of how they murdered the father, daughter and son on the same night without showing any remorse. The motive behind the killing of the Hamer's family by a ruthless man was to acquire their property illegally.