eLanka

Wednesday, 22 Oct 2025
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • Weekly Events and Advertisements
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Newsletter
  • eLanka Weddings
  • Property
  • eLanka Shop
  • Business Directory
eLankaeLanka
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • Weekly Events and Advertisements
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Follow US
© 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Home » Blog » Articles » Photos from the Ceylon Society of Australia – 2nd Public Meeting 26th May 2019
ArticlesPhotos

Photos from the Ceylon Society of Australia – 2nd Public Meeting 26th May 2019

eLanka admin
Last updated: May 28, 2019 9:26 am
By
eLanka admin
ByeLanka admin
Follow:
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE



Vicarage murders hold guests spellbound – from Doug Jones

More than 130 guests gathered on May 26 at the Ceylon Society of Australia’s second 2019 public meeting to hear CSA member

Ananda Amaranath’s dissertation on “Murders at the Vicarage – The Mathew Peris Case.” His listeners were held spellbound as he explained the intricacies of a rare, classic case in Sri Lankan legal history where an accused was found guilty based on the observations and medical opinions of numerous medical professionals who assisted the Judges of the Trial-at-Bar to arrive at a guilty verdict. The speaker illustrated his talk with clips from the Chandran Rutnam- produced movie “According to Matthew” starring Alston Koch and Jacqueline Fernandez, based on the affair and the murders, which he encouraged guests to view when possible.




        This was the famous murder case when Rev. Mathew Peris was the Vicar of St Paul’s Anglican Church in Kynsey Road, Borella. He was a well-known exorcist who conducted exorcism ceremonies in the church and frequently visited homes in Sri Lanka and abroad to conduct such ceremonies to ward off evil spirits by the invocation of religious rituals. Dalrene Ingram, the co-accused in this trial, first came into contact with Rev Mathew at such a ceremony. Dalrene was employed by Rev. Mathew as his secretary and typist, and moved into the vicarage with her family that included her husband Russell and three children.

             It was this association between Rev. Mathew and Dalrene that culminated in the deaths of Russell Ingram and Mrs Eunice Peiris.  Rev. Mathew was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of Dalrene’s husband Russell and his own wife Mrs Eunice Peris. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1994. Having spent 15 years in jail, the 79-year old Rev. Mathew was released from jail in a general amnesty on 28 October 1997.

More Read

Gotu Kola
Gotu Kola: Sri Lanka’s Ancient Herb of Healing and Rejuvenation – By Jayadeva de Silva
Most of the prisons we live in are invisible – By Vincentius Liong/Leong
Anselm Perera Completes Fifty Years in Oman on October 25 2025

        In 1983, Ananda Amaranath, as a Senior State Counsel of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, was a member of the team of Prosecutors who prosecuted Rev. Mathew Peiris and Dalrene Ingram in the High Court of Colombo.

        Ananda received his schooling at St. Thomas’s College, Mount Lavinia and obtained his Law Degree from the University of Colombo. He was an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and was also admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales.

           On his arrival in Australia in 1989, Ananda joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in NSW and practiced as a Senior Prosecutor for 27 years. For the past two years he has been in private practice in Sydney.

 

Photos from the Ceylon Society of Australia – 2nd Public Meeting 26th May 2019

Please click here or on the photos below to view all the photo on eLanka Facebook page

Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019 Ceylon Society of Australia Meeting 26th May 2019

 

Ceylon Society of Australia
Second Public Meeting on Sunday 26th May 2019
Founded in 1997. Incorporated in Australia.

In the legal history of Sri Lanka, only few cases have had the guilt or innocence of an accused been decided on medical evidence. The trial of the murder of Russell Ingram and Eunice Pieris by administration of an anti-diabetic drug in their meals is an example where medical evidence played a critical role in the final guilty verdict.

Rev. Mathew Peiris was the Vicar of St Paul’s Anglican Church in Kynsey Road, Borella. A wellknown exorcist, he conducted exorcism ceremonies in the church and frequently visited homes in Sri Lanka and abroad to ward off evil spirits. Dalrene Ingram, the co-accused in this trial, first came into contact with Rev. Mathew at such a ceremony. Dalrene was employed by Rev. Mathew as his secretary and typist, and moved into the vicarage with her family that included her husband Russell and three children.



This association between Rev. Mathew and Dalrene culminated in the death of Russell Ingram and Mrs Eunice Peiris. Rev. Mathew was convicted and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1994. Having spent 15 years in jail, the 79 year-old Rev. Mathew was released from jail in a general amnesty on 28 October 1997.

He was still in robes when he came out of jail and professed his faith in God. He passed away on 12 May 1998.

Dalrene’s death sentence was set aside and she was acquitted by the Court of Criminal Appeal.

The story of this case will be related by our speaker Ananda Amaranath who comes from Beliatte in the deep south of Sri Lanka. His schooling was at St. Thomas’s College and his Law Degree is from the University of Colombo. He is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and was also admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales. Subsequently, he was admitted as a Barrister of the Supreme Court of Seychelles and in Australia as a Barrister and Solicitor of New South Wales. He had a short period in private practice in Colombo following graduation, after which he joined the Attorney General’s Department as a State Counsel. He prosecuted in various provincial High Courts in Sri Lanka and was involved in several murder cases. Noteworthy in his experience were the trials arising out of the 1971 JVP insurrection and the Galenbindunuwewa murder case, which is regarded as one of the famous criminal cases of Sri Lanka.

In 1983, as a Senior State Counsel, he was a member of a team of Prosecutors who prosecuted Rev. Mathew Peiris and Dalrene Ingram in the High Court of Colombo.At the end of 1983, he was seconded to the Attorney General’s Chambers of the Republic of Seychelles and was appointed Principal State Counsel, responsible for the management of the civil and criminal divisions of the Chambers and appearing as a Barrister in the more
complex cases that came up in the Courts.

On his arrival in Australia in 1989, he joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in NSW and actised as a Senior Prosecutor for 27 years. For the past two years he has been in private practice in Sydney.



More Read

KINDER CHRISTIANITY - By Lakshman Navaratne
KINDER CHRISTIANITY – By Lakshman Navaratne
Brilliant Chamari leads from the front in stunning Sri Lanka comeback win over Bangladesh.  Domino effect leaves Bangladeshis red faced.- BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.  (eLanka Sports Editor).
Sri Lanka Sevens rugby soars to number three in Asia.  Hong Kong China and Japan go one-two in Asia after thrilling tournament in Colombo.  – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.  (eLanka Sports Editor).
TAGGED:Ananda AmaranathCeylon Society of AustraliaEunice PierisRev. Mathew PeirisRussell Ingram
Share This Article
Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article scott_morrison Prime Minister – Media Release – Ministry
Next Article Paul Media Release – The Hon Paul Fletcher MP – Fletcher ‘deeply honoured’ to be appointed Minister for Communications, Cybersafety and the Art
FacebookLike
YoutubeSubscribe
LinkedInFollow
Most Read
10 Pictures With Fascinating Stories Behind Them!

“A PICTURE SPEAKS A 1000 WORDS” – By Des Kelly

Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment

A Life Hack for when we’re Burnt Out & Broken Down – By Uma Panch

Narration of the History of our Proud Ancestral (Orang Jawa) Heritage. by Noor R. Rahim

eLanka Weddings

eLanka Marriage Proposals

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News- By Noel Whittaker

EILEEN MARY SIBELLE DE SILVA (nee DISSANAYAKE) – 29 September 1922 – 6 April 2018 – A Woman of Value an Appreciation written by Mohini Gunasekera

K.K.S. Cement Factory

Dr.Harold Gunatillake’s 90th Birthday party

Sri Lanka's women's cricket squad in Melbourne

Cricket: Sri Lanka’s women’s squad in Melbourne

- Advertisement -
Ad image
Related News
Sri Lanka economic recovery 2025
Articles Dr Harold Gunatillake

The current government is working hard to build a bright future for everyone. – By Dr Harold Gunatillake

Sri Lanka Malays
Articles

A Brief History of the Sri Lanka Malays. – By Noor Rahim

University of West London
Articles

University of West London opens firs UK branch Campus in Sri Lanka

Festival of Lights , Celebrating Diwali
Articles

US Joins Canada, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka in Celebrating Diwali as a Global Indian Festival of Lights Uniting Cultures Worldwide

Articles

IFLA APR Talk & Share – Heritage Management And Landscape Architecture

  • Quick Links:
  • Articles
  • DESMOND KELLY
  • Dr Harold Gunatillake
  • English Videos
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sinhala Videos
  • eLanka Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Tamil Videos
  • Dr. Harold Gunatillake
  • Sunil Thenabadu
  • Sinhala Movies
  • Trevine Rodrigo
  • Michael Roberts
  • Tamil Movies

eLanka

Your Trusted Source for News & Community Stories: Stay connected with reliable updates, inspiring features, and breaking news. From politics and technology to culture, lifestyle, and events, eLanka brings you stories that matter — keeping you informed, engaged, and connected 24/7.
Kerrie road, Oatlands , NSW 2117 , Australia.
Email : info@eLanka.com.au / rasangivjes@gmail.com.
WhatsApp : +61402905275 / +94775882546

(c) 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.