Instructor at govt training institute freed of sexual assault charges

An instructor at a government training institute in Malaysia has been acquitted of two counts of sexually assaulting a 18-year-old female student seven years ago. The Johor Bahru High Court found the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The man, 48 at the time, was initially found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison for each charge last year.

However, upon reevaluation, the court acquitted him. The student initially reported the teacher for holding her hands during classes, which disturbed her, but there was no reference to the accused rubbing his leg against her calf, the act that constituted the first charge. The second charge claimed the girl was alone when the teacher touched her bottom, but this was contradicted by documentary and testimonial evidence.

Two classmates who testified about the alleged touching could not confirm the incident as they were at a distance from the student and teacher. The judge criticized the police investigation for not attempting to locate three potential witnesses or properly scrutinizing the student's police report. The investigating officer admitted during cross-examination that there were loopholes in the investigation, failing to meet the standard of conducting a complete and even-handed investigation.