George town: The Magistrate's Court here today acquitted and discharged four men of a charge of abetting in the assault of a lawyer with an iron rod two years ago. Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Koay Beng Ghee, 38, Teh Eng Tat, 38, Ng Weng Kooi, 43, and Yeoh Ee Seong, 48, at the close of the prosecution's case.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the court found inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, resulting in a failure to establish the elements of the charge against Koay, Teh, and Ng, who are marketing executives, and Yeoh, a businessman. The prosecution submitted 42 exhibits and called nine witnesses to testify. After examining the testimony and conducting a comprehensive evaluation, the court concluded that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case.

The magistrate ordered all the accused to be discharged and acquitted of the charges without requiring them to enter their defense. This decision was reached after considering the submissions and finding insufficient evidence to proceed further with the case.

Koay, Teh, and Ng were initially charged on December 24, 2024, with abetting Yeoh in causing injury to Beh Hong Shien, 37, using an iron rod by the roadside at Persiaran Karpal Singh on October 22, 2024. Yeoh was later charged on December 27, 2024, with abetting the other three accused in committing the same offense.

The charges were framed under Section 324 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 109, which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, a fine, whipping, or any combination of these punishments upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor M. Darrshini led the prosecution, while lawyer Muhamad Asri Abdul Hamid represented Koay, Teh, and Ng, and lawyers Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim, Mohd Khairul Fairuz, and Marcia Geraldine Lopez represented Yeoh.