A St. James businessman, who was charged with sex crimes allegedly committed more than 40 years ago, was freed on Monday in the St. James Circuit Court.
The court ruled that the prosecution failed to produce evidence to prove allegations brought against Montego Bay businessman Patrick Chung.
The trial started on October 7.
In January 2012, Mr. Chung was charged with eleven counts of sexual assault.
On September 30, days before the trial was to commence, the prosecution abandoned four of the charges and the trial proceeded on four counts of indecent assault and three counts of incest.
In a statement Monday, his attorney, Jacqueline Samuels Brown, said the case has over the years attracted public interest as the allegations date back to the 1970s and 80s and no specific date was ever given for when the offences were allegedly committed.
Additionally, in November 2015, Mr. Chung's lawyers complained to the Supreme Court that it would be unfair to proceed with the trial because of the delay of more than 30 years in making the complaint against him and that, as a result, witnesses who he could depend on to give evidence of his innocence were dead.
They also complained about the long delay in bringing the charges.
On April 4 this year, two judges of the Supreme Court, while accepting that there had been extraordinary delay, ruled that the trial should proceed but be disposed of this year.
Mr. Chung, who is now 78 years old and of failing health, had always maintained his innocence.
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