Man freed of rape charge

A factory worker was acquitted and discharged by the Sessions Court here today on a charge of raping a 16-year-old student.

Judge Niran Tan Kran ordered Muhammad Azwan Abd Rahim, 22, to be released after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case at the end of the prosecution case.

He was charged with raping the girl at the back seat of a car near a school in Sungai Siput at about 3 pm on Sept 2, 2015.

The charge, under Section 376(2) of the Penal Code, provides an imprisonment for up to 30 years and whipping, if found guilty.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nazratul Natrah Mohd Yusuf, while Muhammad Azwan was represented by lawyer Ahmad Shamil Azad Abdul Hami. -- Bernama