A 23-year-old military personnel was charged at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court on Tuesday over three separate offences involving alleged sexual crimes against two underage girls, as well as possession of explicit pornographic material.
Muhammad Fudhail Fathollah Hamdan pleaded not guilty after all charges were read before Judge Raja Noor Adilla Raja Mahyaldin.
According to court proceedings, the first charge alleges that the accused pulled a nine-year-old girl into a house and forced her against a wall in an incident said to have taken place on 12 April at around 4.30pm.
The second charge involves an 11-year-old victim, where the accused is alleged to have dragged her into a vacant house at Jalan Serindit, Kem Terendak in Sungai Udang, before grabbing her hands and forcing her to open her mouth during the same timeframe.
Both incidents are said to have occurred at an unoccupied premises in Melaka Tengah.
If convicted under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the accused faces up to 20 years in prison and whipping.
A third charge was also brought against him for allegedly possessing pornographic images and videos stored on his mobile phone, which was seized by police during an investigation at the Melaka Police Contingent Headquarters on 13 April 2026 at about 8pm. The offence falls under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code, carrying a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Qaiyyum Ramlan requested bail totalling RM60,000, with RM20,000 for each charge, along with strict conditions prohibiting contact with victims and prosecution witnesses.
Defence counsel Amritpal Singh, representing the accused under the National Legal Aid Foundation, appealed for reduced bail, citing financial constraints and the accused’s planned marriage later this year.
The court ultimately set bail at RM8,000 with one surety, alongside conditions requiring monthly police reporting and a strict order not to interfere with victims or witnesses.
The case has been fixed for mention again on 26 May.
