A MAN accused of sexually assaulting a child has been acquitted by the Sessions Court after the judge found that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt, highlighting significant shortcomings in the investigation.
Judge Datin M Kunasundary, presiding over the Sexual Crimes Court against Children in Putrajaya, ordered that Na Li Jin, 34, be discharged and acquitted at the close of the defence case after ruling that reasonable doubt had been raised.
Li Jin had been charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 with committing physical sexual assault against a boy who was eight years and eight months old at the time of the alleged offence.
The incident was said to have occurred at a house in Damansara Perdana between Oct 7 and 8, 2022.
In delivering her decision, Kunasundary said the investigating officer had been negligent, noting that only two witnesses had their statements recorded before the accused was arrested.
“It is the responsibility of the investigating officer to conduct a thorough investigation. In this case, the report of sexual violence was made several years after the alleged incident and the victim was a child.
“Certainly, the investigating officer had a significant responsibility to ensure that all aspects of the case involving the victim were investigated comprehensively and completely, including matters relating to the ownership of the premises where the offence was alleged to have taken place,” she said.
The court also found inconsistencies regarding the location of the alleged offence, based on witness testimony presented during the trial.
Kunasundary said evidence showed that the accused was not renting the house in question at the time of the alleged incident in 2022, but had only begun residing there in 2024, raising serious doubts over the prosecution’s case.
“Unless the prosecution is able to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt, the accused must be acquitted.
“After evaluating all the evidence presented before this court, the court finds that the defence has succeeded in raising reasonable doubt regarding the accuracy of the charges faced by the accused in this court.
“The prosecution has failed to prove that this case has passed the threshold of beyond reasonable doubt, therefore the accused is discharged and acquitted of the charge,” she said.
Defence counsel Muhammad Amirul Mukminin Mohd Sufian said outside court that his client had previously faced another charge under the same Act, but that case was dropped after the complainant’s mother withdrew her report.
He added that at the time of the alleged incident, his client had been working as a school van driver and tuition teacher.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Norhana Sahat. - April 27, 2026
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