SEREMBAN: A 50-year-old man has been discharged and acquitted by the Sessions Court in Seremban on Monday (Oct 23) for allegedly raping and committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on a four-year-old girl his wife was babysitting.
The man, who was 46 when the alleged crimes occurred, was acquitted by Judge Surita Budin without calling for his defence at the end of the prosecution’s case.
“After taking into consideration the testimonies of prosecution witnesses, reviewing the written submissions of both parties and assessing the overall facts, the court has concluded that the prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused,” ruled Judge Surita Budin.
Therefore, the accused has been discharged and acquitted.
A total of fourteen witnesses testified during the hearing.
The man was accused of raping the girl in a room at a house in Taman Bukit Kempas in Titi between March 21 and 22, 2019.
He was charged under Section 376(2) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 30 years and whipping upon conviction.
Additionally, he faced a second charge of committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the victim at the same location and time, which falls under Section 377c of the same legislation and carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was first charged in April 2019.
Goh Hsiao Tung acted as the prosecutor while Haresh Mahadevan and Ramzani Idris represented the accused.
