Man acquitted of sexual harassment charges after case dropped
Judge Hurman Hussain granted the discharge and acquittal (DNA) following a request by the accused's lawyer, Mohammad Syazwan, as the family no longer wished to proceed.
The man had faced two charges under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' jail and whipping.
The alleged offences were said to have occurred in June 2023 at a house in Kampung Marakau, Ranau.
The court also ordered the refund of the bail amount paid by the accused.
Meanwhile, the High Court will determine on May 23 whether Sangdesar Bunjing, 37, will be required to enter his defence or be acquitted of a drug trafficking charge under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
High Court judge Datuk Dr Lim Hock Leng fixed the date after the prosecution closed its case, having called five witnesses, including a chemist.
Sangdesar had pleaded not guilty to trafficking 339.1 grammes of syabu on February 12, 2024, around 12.45 am, in a Perodua Kancil car parked at the Pos Aviation warehouse parking lot near here.
If convicted, he faces the mandatory death penalty or life imprisonment, along with no fewer than 15 strokes of the cane.
Deputy public prosecutor Dacia Jane Romanus appeared for the prosecution, while assigned counsel Jamadi Saleh represented the accused.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Govt files appeal against negligence ruling in Ivana Smit's case
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has filed a notice of appeal against the High Court's ruling that found the government and police negligent in their investigation into the death of Dutch model Ivana Esther Robert Smit. Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar confirmed the appeal when contacted today. "Yes, confirmed. We did file it yesterday," he said in a brief reply to the New Straits Times. Earlier today, in a statement released by the Smit family's lawyer, Datuk Sankara Nair, it was confirmed that the government, through the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC), filed a notice of appeal against the judgment delivered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 29, in the civil action brought by Smit's mother, Christina Carolina Gerarda Johanna Verstappen, on behalf of herself and her late daughter. Sankara said the appeal was filed yesterday by the A-GC, on behalf of the inspector-general of police, investigating officer Faizal Abdullah, the home minister and the Malaysian government. "Our firm continues to act for Christina Verstappen in defending the High Court's decision, and we remain committed to ensuring that justice is pursued transparently and vigorously." On July 29, Christina Verstappen was awarded RM1.1 million in damages after the High Court ruled there was negligence by the police in handling the investigation into her daughter's death in 2017. Judge Roz Mawar Rozain ruled there were breaches in the duty of care by the authorities, including failures in crime scene management, evidence preservation and forensic procedures. Christina, who filed the suit as a plaintiff on Nov 20, 2020, had named the inspector-general of police, Faizal, the home minister and the government as defendants. Smit, who was at the home of American couple Alexander William Johnson and Laura Almazkyzy, was allegedly partying with the couple before she fell to her death. She fell from the 20th floor, and her naked body was found on a sixth-floor balcony at 10am. Smit, who had dual Dutch and Belgian citizenship, was the second runner-up in the Malaysia Supermodel Search 2014, when she was 15.
Borneo Post
4 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Man who raped, impregnated minor gets 9 years, five strokes of cane
File photo for illustration purposes KUCHING (Aug 19): A 22-year-old fisherman was sentenced by the Sessions Court here today to nine years in prison and five strokes of the cane for raping a minor who went on to deliver a baby girl. Judge Zuraidah Zakaria meted out the sentence after the accused changed his plea to guilty to a charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, and ordered him to undergo counselling during his imprisonment, as well as two years of police supervision upon release. The accused committed the offence in the bathroom of a rented room at Jalan Pending here on Jan 3, 2022. At the time, he was aged 19 while the victim was 15. According to the facts of the case, the victim and her younger sister were taken by their cousin to the rented room to collect some belongings, travelling in a car together with the accused and another man. Upon arrival, the cousin bought 'nasi lemak' for the victim and her sister, and after the meal, the victim left to look for water to drink as there was none in the room. When she returned, she began to feel dizzy and while in a semi-conscious state, discovered that her trousers had been removed by the accused. She later realised that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with her, and noticed physical traces of the act. On April 26, 2022, the victim informed her mother that she was pregnant, leading to her mother filing a police report that led to the arrest of the accused. The victim gave birth on Aug 26, with results of a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test conclusively proving the accused was the biological father of the child, recording a 99.99 per cent match. Prosecuting was deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fadzri Azham Zainudin, while the accused was represented by lawyer Christopher Bada.
Borneo Post
5 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Civil servant acquitted, discharged of corruption
The Kota Kinabalu Court Complex. KOTA KINABALU (Aug 19): A civil servant was freed by a Sessions Court here from a charge of allegedly receiving bribe eight years ago. Judge Jason Juga acquitted and discharged Nurul Syazwanie Idris, 35, without calling for her defence on Tuesday. In his reserved ruling, the judge held that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused. Nurul was accused of accepting the bribe from a man allegedly as a reward to help a company to get the work of supplying goods for a sport programme. The alleged offence took place on March 17, 2017. Nurul was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 21(1) of the same Act. The charge provides for a jail term of up to 20 years or a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. The prosecution had called 20 witnesses during the trial. Counsel Datuk Ram Singh and Prem Elmer Ganasan represented Nurul.
