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| Caroline Jurie (second from left) was arrested on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new "Mrs Sri Lanka". (Photo by=AFP) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Colombo police on Thursday (Apr 8) arrested the current "Mrs. World" on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new "Mrs. Sri Lanka". AFP reported that Caroline Jurie yanked the crown off Pushpika de Silva minutes after she was declared Mrs. Sri Lanka 2020 at a Sunday gala at Colombo's Nelum Pokuna Theatre.
Jurie was the previous year's Mrs. Sri Lanka and won the Mrs. World competition organized by a California-based company. Pushpika de Silva needed hospital treatment after the incident, seen by stunned spectators in a packed theatre including a live social media audience. Jurie claimed that de Silva was divorced and therefore ineligible for the prize. To qualify for the title, contestants must be married. De Silva is estranged from her husband, but still legally married.
"We have arrested Jurie and (her associate) Chula Manamendra in connection with a charge of assault and causing damage to Nelum Pokuna (theatre)," senior police official Ajith Rohana said. De Silva told reporters outside the Cinnamon Gardens police station in Colombo on Thursday that she will drop charges if Jurie apologizes publicly, but she refused. Police sources said a court hearing was likely next week, and Jurie and her associate who crashed onto the stage last Sunday could be granted bail later on Thursday.
