An aged care worker who allegedly grabbed a teenage colleague by the throat and said he could kill her after a dispute over biscuits has said the girl fabricated the accusations out of jealousy. Lakshman Senanayake, 68, is accused of assaulting his 17-year-old co-worker during an argument at a nursing home in the north Canberra suburb of Page, where they worked. The alleged victim told the ACT Magistrates Court Mr Senanayake asked her if she had checked the biscuit supply in the home’s respite care section at breakfast time. When she replied that she had not, he allegedly became furious. The girl said she felt pressure on her throat and pushed him away with both hands. “I said ‘you’ve gone too far this time’ and he said ‘sorry darl’,” she told the court. She said she then ran down the corridor to seek help. In a police interview played to the court, Mr Senanayake denied the allegations, claiming he only touched her hand. He told police his colleague had lied about the incident because she was jealous of him and wanted to cause trouble. Under cross examination the teenager denied lying about the alleged attack, or that she had been drinking a liquid out of the fridge and gesturing at Mr Senanayake when he spoke to her. The case will return to court in December.
