KOTA KINABALU: A primary school teacher has been discharged and acquitted of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old pupil here, last year.
However, he still faces ongoing trials for similar offences against three other pupils, which are being held in different courts.
For this particular case, Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus made the order discharging and acquitting the 45-year-old without him having to enter his defence after the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against him on Wednesday (April 30).
He was accused of committing the offences on the boy at a primary school classroom in January last year.
A total of five witnesses were called throughout the hearing, including the victim.
He is also allowed bail pending his other cases.
The teacher was charged in separate courts in August for allegedly sexually assaulting four of his male pupils in 2023 and 2024.
In this first case, he was accused of assaulting a seven-year-old boy in August 2023 inside the classroom.
On the second count, he claimed trial to committing the same offence against an eight-year-old boy in a classroom of the same school on Jan 7, 2024.
For the third case, he was accused of kissing the cheeks of an 11-year-old on Jan 4, 2024, in a classroom of the same school.
On the fourth count, he allegedly touched the private parts of another 11-year-old on Jan 11, 2024, in the classroom of the same school.
The offences under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
