{
  "id": 18483660,
  "title": "Teacher acquitted of three sexual assault charges involving students",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/teacher-acquitted-of-three-sexual-assault-charges-involving-students",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T09:50:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/11/1572290/teacher-acquitted-three-sexual-assault-charges-involving-students"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A teacher from Tawau named Sanyzam Dabal was acquitted of three sexual assault charges against three female students, according to the Sessions Court. The ruling came after Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya determined that the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to prove Sanyzam's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.\n\nThe judge noted that the time frames mentioned in the charges were too broad, which made it difficult for Sanyzam to present an alibi defense. This, combined with conflicting testimonies from several prosecution witnesses and the absence of crucial evidence, led to the acquittal.\n\nMoreover, the court pointed out that the investigating officer had failed to call a potential witness who claimed to have seen one of the incidents occur, and did not retrieve an MMI book mentioned in one victim's testimony. The officer also did not question two pupils who were reportedly with the victim when she reported the incident to her mother.\n\nSanyzam was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, alleging that he physically assaulted the three students between March and November 2023. The court ordered the return of the bail money that had been held.",
  "summary": "TAWAU: The Sessions Court acquitted and discharged a teacher of three counts of sexual assault involving three female students three years ago.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}