Ex-army corporal acquitted of 17 charges, including 15 molestation counts

A former Malaysian army corporal was acquitted and discharged by a court in Ayer Keroh after being accused of 17 charges, including 15 counts of molesting a male recruit at Terendak Camp in 2023. The magistrate, Uthman Abd Ghani, ruled in favor of the accused, stating that the prosecution had failed to present enough evidence to establish a prima facie case.

The 38-year-old accused, Mohd Amanah Habhijullah, was found to have discrepancies in his testimony and inconsistencies with other witnesses' accounts. One of the charges involved causing injury, allegedly by hitting the complainant with a broomstick and kicking him in the chest. The court also found discrepancies in the number of witnesses present during one of the alleged incidents.

Despite the trauma and depression experienced by the complainant after the alleged relationship with the accused, the prosecution's case was deemed not strong enough to prove guilt. Mohd Amanah expressed gratitude for the court's decision, describing the case as defamatory and stating that he had fought for two and a half years without sufficient evidence.