{
  "id": 3280481,
  "title": "Court upholds technician’s sacking over sexual harassment of cleaner",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/court-upholds-technicians-sacking-over-sexual-harassment-of-cleaner-3280481",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T14:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/25/court-upholds-technician-s-sacking-over-sexual-harassment-of-cleaner"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Kuala Lumpur High Court has upheld the dismissal of a former senior technician at government-linked company Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CTRM) for sexually harassing a 17-year-old cleaner in 2022. Judge Alice Loke dismissed the man's appeal, stating that the company had just cause and excuse to terminate his employment. The 50-year-old man was accused of inappropriate touching, dragging his right palm along the cleaner's right waist towards the area below her armpit during her lunch break in the company pantry. An investigation found him guilty, and CTRM terminated his employment immediately. The man denied the allegation, claiming it was accidental due to the narrow pantry. However, the Industrial Court accepted the cleaner's version of events, which was corroborated by a coworker who witnessed the incident. The man also admitted to confronting the cleaner and her mother on the day of the incident, questioning if he could even touch her by accident. The High Court ordered him to pay RM3,000 in costs to CTRM.",
  "summary": "Justice Alice Loke says the Industrial Court was not wrong in accepting the 17-year-old cleaner’s account and rejecting the man’s claim that physical contact was accidental.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Court upholds technician’s sacking over sexual harassment of cleaner",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/court-upholds-technicians-sacking-over-sexual-harassment-of-cleaner",
        "published": "2026-08-25T14:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}