Man Acquitted of Indecent Assault in Seatbelt Case

A man accused of indecent assault has been found not guilty by a judge who cited a lack of conclusive evidence, despite testimony from the alleged victim and her mother. The case centered on an incident that occurred in a car in September 2021.

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The court found that although the defendant's statement was inconsistent with common sense, there was still no positive evidence sufficient to prove the defendant's crime based on the existing case evidence.

The alleged victim, a 14-year-old girl, accused the defendant, a friend of her late father, of touching her chest and private parts while helping her unbuckle her seatbelt. She also claimed he threatened to cut off her phone's internet if she spoke out.

The girl's mother testified that her daughter had told her about the defendant's inappropriate touching and threats. She advised her daughter to cease contact with the man. The mother expressed anger but refrained from reporting the incident at the time due to concerns about her daughter's custody situation and her ex-husband's illness.

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The defendant claimed that when he was in the car in the parking lot, he was helping the girl unbuckle her seatbelt, using his left hand to grab the seatbelt and pull the girl back, while using his right hand to release the buckle, and did not touch her.

The defendant maintained his innocence, stating that he was merely assisting the girl with her seatbelt and did not make any inappropriate contact. The court acknowledged that the defendant's account was inconsistent with common sense. However, the judge ultimately ruled that based on the available evidence, there was insufficient proof to convict the man of the charges.

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On one occasion, A girl actively told me that the defendant would touch her inappropriately. If she didn't comply, the defendant would threaten to cut off A girl's mobile phone network.