School teacher freed on charge of outraging student's modesty

KANGAR: The Magistrate's Court here today acquitted and discharged a primary school teacher on a charge of outraging the modesty of a student without calling for his defence.
Magistrate Mohd Azhar Hamzah ordered Muhammad Akhir Bakar, 51, to be freed after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a case against him at the end of the prosecution case.
In the judgment, he said the prosecution failed to call several witnesses to support the victim's testimony and also that there were contradictions in the testimony of witnesses who testified.
Muhammad Akhir was charged with using criminal force to the student with intention to outrage her modesty at the Living Skills Workshop of the school at about noon on March 31, 2015.
The charge, under Section 354 of the Penal Code, provides an imprisonment for up to 10 years, or fine , or whipping, or any two of the punishments, if found guilty
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Nisla Abd Latif, while Muhammad Akhir was represented by lawyers Zuhair Ahmad Zakuan and Syed Muhammad Anwar Syed Lokman Hakim. — Bernama