Court of Appeal upholds ex-car jockey’s acquittal over 2023 rape charge, ruling prosecution failed to prove case.
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal here today upheld the acquittal of a former car jockey who had been charged with raping a woman in a car park outside an entertainment centre in 2023.
A three-judge panel comprising Justices Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against the High Court’s decision to acquit B.Satia.
Delivering the unanimous decision, Justice Noorin said the High Court had correctly found that the prosecution failed to prove its case against Satia beyond a reasonable doubt and that the appellate court should not interfere with that decision.
She said Satia’s DNA was never found on the victim or even in the car where the alleged rape took place.
Justice Noorin said the High Court was justified in concluding that the victim’s identification of Satia was not free from doubt.
Satia, 29, was initially convicted by the Sessions Court in 2024 of raping the woman, then 18 years old, in the car park outside the club in Kuala Lumpur at 5.20 am on May 13, 2023.
In July last year, the High Court overturned the conviction, acquitted and discharged Satia after allowing his appeal.
The prosecution subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal.
At today’s proceedings, Satia was represented by lawyers Muhammad Amin Abdullah and Nur’afini Mohd Norizam, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Norshazwani Ishak appeared for the prosecution.
