‘Foolish’ advice sickens Kamahl’s ill-advised text

Singer Kamahl was at his lowest point when he sent allegedly threatening messages to a woman over an unpaid $2000 loan, a Sydney court has heard.

A magistrate dismissed the intimidation charge against the 89-year-old at Sutherland Local Court on Monday, ruling the case should be dealt with on mental health grounds.

Kandiah Kamalesvaran, better known by his stage name, was charged after allegedly sending several messages that included a threat to strangle a woman he was previously friends with.

When the woman was asked to repay the loan, she responded by claiming Kamahl had assaulted her, prompting the singer to react as he did, the court was told.

The woman had offered to repay her debt to Kamahl in weekly installments of $5, the court heard, sending the first payment with the description: “To the abuser.”

Kamahl (pictured) was charged with intimidation after allegedly sending several messages including a threat to strangle a woman he had previously been friends with.

Kamahl’s lawyer, Arjun Chhabra, said his client then stopped taking medication for anxiety and depression after being convinced by a friend to resort to herbal injections instead.

“It was just stupid advice from this acquaintance,” he said.

Kamahl’s daughter arrived in Australia on the day of the allegedly intimidating messages to find him and his house in a “disheveled state”, the court was told.

She then reestablished the singer’s connections with medical professionals and took control of his finances, Mr. Chhabra said.

Describing the case, Magistrate Paul Lyon said Kamahl was concerned about how he would explain the sexual assault claim to his daughter and ex-wife.

He then sent a message to the woman, calling her, among other things, a “stupid, ungrateful slut”, the court was told.

“He reacts impulsively,” Mr. Chhabra said.

“Then he makes a stupid, potentially criminal statement. »

A magistrate dismissed the intimidation charge against the 89-year-old (centre) at Sutherland Local Court on Monday, ruling the case should be dealt with on mental health grounds.

Mr Lyon imposed an apprehended violence order on the singer for a period of two years, preventing him from approaching or contacting the woman, a decision accepted by the parties.

“It is terribly, terribly important that people, and particularly men, when communicating with women… do so in a respectful manner,” the magistrate said.

The Malaysian-born singer rose to prominence with two singles in the late 1960s and mid-1970s, as well as his repeated appearances on the long-running variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

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