KUALA TERENGGANU: The Kuala Terengganu High Court today acquitted and discharged a former assistant bowling coach from charges of molesting a Malaysia Games athlete seven years ago.
Mat Salleh Jalani, 61, was acquitted of the charges after Judge Datuk Hassan Abdul Ghani accepted his appeal to set aside the conviction order and 18-month prison sentence that was handed out by the magistrate's court last January.
Based on the charges, Mat Salleh was charged with intentionally using criminal violence against the male athlete who was 13 years old at the time with the intention of violating his honour.
The offence under Section 354 of the Penal Code (Act 574) was allegedly committed while in a car in the car park of a shopping centre here, at about 5pm in May 2017.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Aisyah Mohamad while the accused was represented by lawyers Muhammad Nadzir Abdullah and Marlisa Marzuki from Mohd Hayyatuddin & Co. – BERNAMA