A young person, QF, was charged with assault.
The complainant, MH, testified that QF assaulted her after a consensual kiss.
QF denied the incident and presented alibi evidence, including surveillance footage.
The court found QF's testimony incredible due to inconsistencies.
However, despite finding MH's account generally truthful, the court found a reasonable doubt due to "collusion and tainting" between MH and another complainant (ST), as MH admitted her motivation to report was to "back up" ST.
The court also strongly rejected the defence's argument that prior consent to minor touching implied consent to further, non-consensual acts.
Ultimately, QF was acquitted due to reasonable doubt arising from the tainting of the complainant's evidence.
