By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 23: The Sessions Court here discharged and acquitted a 64-year-old grandfather on a charge of physically assaulting his 7-year-old granddaughter.
Judge Dayang Ellyn Narisa Abang Ahmad today discharged and acquitted the senior citizen, 64, of the charge under Section 14(a) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 after the prosecution had closed their case.
The prosecution had called five witnesses to testify.
The judge noted that there were inconsistencies in the witnesses’ statements and the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case.
The accused was charged with physically assaulting his granddaughter by putting his private part on the victim’s, at his house in Taman Desa Wira, between July 27, 2020 and August 4, 2020.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and punishable under Section 14 of the same Act and read together with Section 16 of the same Act which provides for an imprisonment term not exceeding twenty years and liable to whipping, upon conviction.
The victim only told her father about the alleged incident five months later, on December 24, 2020. A police report was subsequently lodged by her father.
The victim was staying with her family in Selangor and returned to Sarawak in July 2020. She and her family were staying at the accused’s house.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Danial Ilham Kamaruddin prosecuted while the accused was represented by counsels Steven Beti and Gerald Donald. — DayakDaily
