Former Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane was found guilty of rape by district court in Kathmandu on December 29.
Lamichhane was found guilty of Rape
Kathmandu District Court has found Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman. According to the court, the victim was not a minor at the time of the incident. The next hearing will decide the judgment on January 10.
It is expected that Lamichhane could face up to 10 years in jail. His lawyers said that he would appeal the verdict to a higher court. “We did not expect this judgement… we are frustrated,” lawyer Sabita Bhandari Baral told Reuters. “We’ll definitely appeal.”
Last year September month, Lamichhane the Nepal captain, was suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) after an arrest warrant was issued against him. It was followed after the news that a complaint was filed against Lamichhane at Kathmandu Police Station.
Lamichhane was in the West Indies with Jamaica Tallawahs taking part in CPL 2022. The Club announced that Lamichhane would be leaving the tournament with immediate effect. After he landed in the Katmandu airport in early October, he had been taken into custody.
After being arrested, Lamichhane wrote on Facebook that he would cooperate with the investigation and would fight to prove his innocence.
He returned to the Nepal side in February 2023 for a Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at home against Namibia and Scotland. He was not considered for Nepal’s squad for the league but joined the team as an injury replacement.