Kuching technician discharged and acquitted of sexually assaulting 4-year-old niece
by Hafizah Abdul Hamid · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (Sept 20): The Sessions Court here today discharged and acquitted a technician accused of sexually assaulting his then four-year-old niece in 2021.
Judge Iris Awen Jon made the decision after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against the 42-year-old man at the end of the prosecution’s case.
Therefore, the court determined that the accused be released and acquitted of the charge without his defence being called.
He was accused of physically assaulting the child, who was four years old at the time, by touching her genitals.
The offence allegedly occurred between January and May 2021 at a house in Petra Jaya here.
He faced a charge under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, which provides for up to 20 years in prison and caning upon conviction.
The trial, which ended on July 25, 2024, saw six witnesses called to testify for the prosecution.
Deputy public prosecutor Ruvinasini Pandian handled the prosecution while the accused was represented by lawyer Abdul Rahman Mohd Hazmi.