A BUDDHIST monk has a criminal record after being convicted of touching female students at a mindfulness centre.

Rewatha Kamburawala, 47, was convicted last month of three charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards three females between April 2015 and March 2016.

During his trial, one woman told of incidents by Kamburawala, while she was on a retreat at the Glasgow Mindfulness Centre.

She recalled occasions when they were alone together during yoga sessions, and her time on the retreat, including him touching her body, inducing her to touch him and pulling her towards him.

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Sheriff Ian Fleming also convicted Kamburawala of charges against two other students at the Maryhill centre, including making sexual remarks and touching them on the body on various occasions.

Today at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Kamburawala, originally from Sri Lanka, was given a Community Payback Order with the condition he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Fleming said he was going to refer the case to allow the Scottish Parliament to decide if Kamburawala should be put on the list of people not able to work with vulnerable people and children.

In 2009, Kamburawala was appointed as Chief Sangha Nayake for the UK by The High Ambassador for World Interfaith Dialogue, Peace and Harmony. He was given this for his 28 years of service as a Buddhist monk, teacher, charity organiser and Buddhist counsellor.

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As head of Scotland Buddhist Temple, he previously addressed the Scottish Parliament about the Government helping to rebuild Sri Lanka and the problems faced there. It was the first time that a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk addressed a European Parliament.