KANGAR: A teacher was acquitted and discharged by the magistrate's court here today, without his defence called, over a charge of molesting a 12 year-old pupil last year.
In delivering the verdict, magistrate Mohd Azhar Hamzah said the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the 51-year-old teacher.
He also said that there were apparent contradictions in the prosecution witnesses’ statements.
The teacher was previously charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code over an alleged assault with intent to outrage the modesty of the girl at the living skills workshop of a primary school in Kangar at 12.50pm on March 31.
The charge carries a maximum 10 years' jail, or with whipping, and also a fine, or any two of the punishments.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Nisla Abd Latif prosecuted, while the accused was represented by Zuhair Ahmad Zakuan, assisted by Syed Muhammad Anwar Syed Lokman Hakim.
When met outside the court, the teacher was very happy to be freed from the charge and extended his gratitude to all parties that had supported, assisted and put their trust in him all this while.
The teacher, who was suspended from his job as a Malay Language teacher since Nov last year following the case, hopes that he can continue teaching at the same school as he has been a teacher there for 15 years.