1960   [IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEAL]

Present : Basnayake, C.J. (President), Sansoni, J., and.
H. N. G. Fernando, J.

REGINA v. J. ANANDAGODA
 
APPEAL 114 OF 1960, WITH APPLICATION 136
 
S. C. 14-M. C. Anuradhapura, 17176 

    Evidence-Admissions-confession-Statement made by an accused to a police officer­ Admissibility-" Fact in issue "-" Relevant fact "-Evidence Ordinance, 88.5, 17 (1) and (2), 25.
 
The exclusion of evidence on the general ground enunciated in The King v. Kalubanda (15 N. L. R. 422) and later applied in Weerakone v. Ranhamy (27 N. L. R. 267)-namely, that a statement made by an accused person to a police officer which clearly or by implication shows that a defence taken may be false, or which even permits an inference to be drawn, prejudicial to the accused, is a confession within the meaning of section 17 (2) of the Evidence Ordinance­ should no longer be regarded as valid. A statement made to a police officer by a person accused of an offence would be inadmissible in evidence only if it is either an admission of the commission of the offence by the accused or else suggests the inference that the accused committed th