Judge dismisses case citing the lack of independent evidence
By
Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
Mr Low leaving the court yesterday with his wife, Madam Toh. They are relieved the ordeal is over at last, even though the case cost him his job as a schoolbus driver. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
FORMER schoolbus driver Low Bak Leng was cleared on Thursday of two charges of molesting a nine-year-old boy in a public toilet in Woodlands last year.
In acquitting Mr Low, District Judge Jeffrey Sim said he did not feel it was safe to convict the 57-year-old on the two charges in the absence of independent corroborative evidence.
Mr Low had denied stroking the private parts of the mildly autistic boy in the second-floor toilet of Block 768 Woodlands Avenue 6 on Jan 4 last year.
The boy, now aged 10, had testified earlier during the six-day trial through a video-link.
Other witnesses called by the prosecution included the boy's mother, a 49-year-old housewife, who made the accusation after being told by her son that an 'uncle' had taught him how to urinate in the toilet.
However, in his oral judgment, Judge Sim said he felt unable to make a finding that the child's evidence was 'unusually convincing'.
'The mother's evidence that the child had waved and said goodbye to the accused and thanked him does not sit very well with the child's evidence that he had just been molested by the accused twice in the toilet,' he added.
Mr Low, represented by Mr N. Kanagavijayan, looked happy and relieved that his ordeal was finally over.
He said the case had caused his family considerable trauma. He was grateful to them for having supported him so staunchly over the past 11/2 years.
Because of the case, he lost his job as a schoolbus driver, but he still works part-time delivering newspapers.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
