Former Nepal cricket captain Lamichhane sentenced to eight years for rape
Al Jazeera
Sandeep Lamichhane, convicted of raping a woman in a Kathmandu hotel in 2022, will fight the ruling in a higher court.
A court in Nepal has sentenced the country’s highest-profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in prison after he was convicted of raping an 18-year-old woman.
The former captain’s lawyer said he would launch a higher court appeal against the jail term.
Lamichhane, 23, has been the face of cricket in Nepal and the only player from the Himalayan country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues in India, Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies. The leg-spinner’s onfield success had boosted the sport’s profile in the Himalayan republic.
In 2022, he was accused of raping a young woman in a Kathmandu hotel and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him. He was later freed on bail and returned to the squad to compete in international tournaments.
Lamichhane was found guilty of rape last month after a repeatedly delayed trial. His lawyer said before the sentencing that Lamichhane would appeal against his conviction.
