A Magistrate’s Court has acquitted a 32-year-old female teacher of two charges of allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male student, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case.
Judge Tasnim delivered the decision, stating that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
“As such, you are acquitted and discharged of both charges,” the court ruled.
According to the charges, the accused, who was a teacher at the time of the alleged incidents, was accused of committing sexual offences against a 15-year-and-3-month-old student.
The first charge alleged that the offence took place on June 23, 2023, at about 8pm inside a vehicle parked along Datuk Abdul Malek Road. The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act.
If convicted under Section 14(a), the accused could have faced up to 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping, while Section 16(1) provides for up to five years’ imprisonment and a minimum of two strokes of the cane.
The second charge stated that a similar offence allegedly occurred on the same day at about 9pm inside a vehicle at a bus stop along Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz. It was framed under Section 14(b) of the same Act, read with Section 16(1), which also carries penalties of up to 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping upon conviction.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Noraisha, while the accused was represented by lawyers Fadli and Datuk Isa.
