Kota Kinabalu: A 45-year-old teacher at a primary school, here, was freed from a charge of committing physical sexual harassment against his male pupil, without his defence being called.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus discharged and acquitted Rosle Basas, after ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Rosle.
Rosle was accused of committing the offence against the 11-year-old boy by kissing his cheeks in January 2024 at a classroom of the school, here.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, on conviction.
The prosecution had called five witnesses including the alleged victim during the hearing.
The court also ordered bail posted by Rosle pending the disposal of his case, to be refunded.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Shafeerah Mad Iskim conducted the prosecution while Rosle was represented by counsel Zahir Shah. – Cynthia D Baga