KOTA KINABALU: A primary school teacher has been discharged and acquitted of one of his sexual harassment cases against a pupil at a school, here last year.
The 45-year-old still has ongoing cases for similar offences against three other pupils.
For this case, Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court judge Elsie Primus decided to discharge and acquit the teacher, without him having to enter his defence after the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against him.
He was accused of kissing the cheeks of an 11-year-old on Jan 4, 2024.
A total of five witnesses were called, including the victim.
He was allowed bail pending his other cases.
He was charged in separate courts in August for allegedly sexually harassing four male pupils from 2023 to 2024.
The other cases include one where he allegedly harassed a seven-year-old in August 2023 inside a classroom.
In a second case, he claimed trial to committing the same offence against an eight-year-old in a classroom of the same school on Jan 7, 2024.
In the third case, he allegedly touched the private parts of another 11-year-old on Jan 11, 2024, in the same classroom.
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.
