KOTA KINABALU: Five weeks after he was acquitted of a rape charge, 81-year-old rubber tapper Tausang Tingal Sagunting died in his sleep on Sunday.
Believed to be one of the oldest men in the country to be charged with rape, Tausang had attended morning mass at his Kampung Loputong church that day.
He was looking cheerful and seen chatting with his daughter and son-in-law before he walked back to his house, where he took a nap.
At about 10.30am, his son-in-law, who lives close by, went to visit him and found Tausang dead.
“It is a very sad case,” said lawyer D.B. Aludah, who had defended Tausang in the court case.
Aludah said that he was informed of TausangÂ’s death by the village head on Tuesday.
Tausang was buried in his village on Tuesday, he added.
“Suka sama suka” (consensual) was how Tausang maintained his innocence on the charge of raping a 19-year-old girl from the same village in August 2004.
He was first produced in the Sessions court on Dec 4, 2004.
The girl gave birth to a son, who is now two-and-a-half years old.
Aludah said that the prosecution had appealed against the verdict and he had asked the family to send him a copy of the death certificate.
He said he would notify the Deputy Public Prosecutor of TausangÂ’s death.
Tausang, who marked his birthday on July 5, leaves behind three children.
Aludah said that although TausangÂ’s identity card gave his date of birth as July 5, 1926, he had told him he was about two years older than the stated age.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/19/nation/18341439&sec=nation