Australian musician Kamahl denies intimidation claims

A legendary Australian singer has asked for his charges to be dismissed after he was charged with intimidating a woman 50 years his junior via text.

Popular musician Kamahl has asked for his charges to be dismissed on mental health grounds after he was charged with intimidating a woman 50 years his junior.

Police allege the 89-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Kandiah Kamalesvaran, sent threatening text messages to a 38-year-old woman he had lent money to.

Kamahl told Nine News that he had met with the woman in May 2023 and agreed to loan her $2000 for a business that she agreed to repay in $5 instalments.

When he requested repayment, a dispute allegedly arose between the pair about the nature of their relationship.

In a flurry of text messages between May last year and March this year, police allege in court documents Kamahl sent two texts that intimidated the much-younger woman.

Entertainer Kamahl has been charged with stalking a woman 50 years younger than him. Picture: 9News

Kamahl was subsequently charged with intimidating the woman with the intention of causing her fear. She has applied for an apprehended violence order against him.

The veteran entertainer’s lawyer Bobby Hill faced Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday to make a section 14 application to dismiss the charge on the grounds of his client’s mental health.

He told the court there was a “large amount of medical material” to be considered during the mental health hearing, which has been set down for October 14.

If the application is unsuccessful, Kamahl will fight the allegation in a defended hearing on November 25.

The singer entered a not guilty plea to the charge of intimidation, his lawyer told the court.

Outside the courthouse, Mr Hill said the allegation was “very specific”.

“There are two very specific text messages … in which the police allege (the) words intimidated the complainant,” he told reporters.

“The police are required to prove Kamahl intended to intimidate the complainant.”

Kamahl’s lawyer Bobby Hill said his client denied intimidating the younger woman. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Mr Hill confirmed Kamahl’s mental health “is being explored” in anticipation of the mental health application hearing later this year.

“He has willingly stated he was not taking medication at the time (of the texts),” he said.

“He’s an 89-year-old man. I’m sure his mental health and his cognitive health are going to be a major feature of these proceedings.”

Kamahl has been a mainstay in the Australian music scene for the past six decades, with frequent guest appearances on Hey Hey It’s Saturday and international hits such as Sounds of Goodbye and The Elephant Song.

In 2021, he announced he had split with his wife after 55 years of marriage and blamed the separation on his prolific use of X (formerly Twitter).

However, Kamahl appears to have deleted his profile on the social media platform since the allegations of stalking became public.

Originally published as Australian musician Kamahl denies intimidation claims