Driver accused of sexually assaulting 6-year-old granted DNAA

 The conditional discharge was granted after the complainant withdrew the police report lodged against the accused.

The Kota Kinabalu sessions court ordered the accused’s bail deposit to be refunded.

PETALING JAYA:

 A 53-year-old driver accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in 2020 was today granted a conditional discharge by the Kota Kinabalu sessions court.

Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan allowed the application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) after deputy public prosecutor Bryan Francis said the complainant had withdrawn the police report lodged against the accused, The Borneo Post reported.

The complainant, who was present in court, confirmed that he had lodged a subsequent police report to retract the earlier one.

Lawyer Amirul Amin, who represented the accused, did not object to the prosecution’s request.

The man was accused of kissing the girl’s face and touching her thighs and private parts in September 2020.

The alleged offence took place in a car while on the way from a kindergarten to a house in Tuaran.

He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

On May 16 last year, Amirul told the court that his client was a “person with disabilities” card holder.

The court also ordered the accused’s bail deposit to be refunded. - FMT