The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya today convicted and sentenced a police inspector to two years jail for outraging the modesty of a female staff in an elevator of a police headquarters in Negeri Sembilan in 2012.

A three-man bench comprising Justices Ahmadi Asnawi, Abdul Rahman Sebli and Kamardin Hashim overturned N Prabu's acquittal on the charge after allowing the prosecution's appeal.

Prabu, 34, was ordered to begin his jail sentence today.

Justice Ahmadi, who chaired the bench, said the court imposed the two-year jail sentence after considering the fact that Prabu was a police inspector and the deputy head of the narcotics division of the Jempol police district headquarters when the offence was committed.

He said the sentence should serve as a lesson to Prabu.

Prabu was charged with outraging the modesty of the 39-year-old woman by touching her breast in the lift at the Negeri Sembilan police contingent headquarters at 12.30pm on Nov 29, 2012.

He was initially discharged and acquitted by the magistrate's court at the end of the prosecution's case without his defence being called and the High Court had upheld the decision.

On an appeal by the prosecution, the Court of Appeal ordered Prabu to enter his defence.

At the end of the defence case, he was again discharged and acquitted by the magistrate’s court and the High Court upheld the decision, prompting the prosecution to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Deputy public prosecutor Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Ismail appeared for the prosecution while Prabu was represented by lawyer Hanif Hassan.

- Bernama