By Vivien Chan

FOR almost a year, he lived in constant fear of being put behind bars.

Related story Epileptics can't always recall actions

John (not his real name) had been charged with molesting a 13-year-old girl.

What's worse was that he had no recollection of the crime he was accused of and gave conflicting versions to the authorities.

But last Friday, the 35-year-old finally breathed a sigh of relief when he was acquitted in court.

Medical reports showed he was of "unsound mind" at the time of the incident.

John was found to have been suffering an epileptic seizure (commonly known as a fit), which caused him to have no recollection of the incident.

He told The New Paper over the phone in a mix of English and Malay: "I am thankful this is over, but I still lost my job because of this incident."

He requested that his real name not be used because he was worried it may affect his future job prospects.

The incident happened on 17 Nov last year, John's first day as a school bus driver.

He did not drive but sat behind a senior driver in the bus to familiarise himself with the route.

According to John's psychiatric report, the bus was making its third trip that day when John suffered a fit.

The bus driver and a female bus attendant, who were not aware that John was having a fit, saw him touch a schoolgirl and shouted at him.

Looked blur

The attendant said John looked "blur" for about 10 minutes.

He was "not alert" and "looked drunk". She saw him touch the girl's hand and shoulder and said he did not look like he was having a fit.

According to court documents, the girl had accused John of fiddling with her bra strap and caressing her shoulder and lower back.

In the psychiatric report, John's mother told the doctor at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) that when he suffers from a fit, he would "not be conscious, will turn to anyone, will touch anyone, may fall on the floor and will not remember what happened".

His hand would also move about and he would not be able to control his bladder. He may be "semi-responsive and confused".

According to the report, John had a "high fever associated with seizures"when he was 8 months old and was hospitalised for a week.

When he was 4, his fits recurred, and continued occasionally till he turned 7.

"Then it vanished. I thought I was okay," John said.

But years later, the fits came back when he was serving his National Service. He was admitted to intensive care and treated for heat exhaustion.

He was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. Since then, he would suffer a fit once every few weeks.

John's mother said her son has no recollection of what happens during his fits.

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