Preacher PU Azman case: Mother claims child was molested by touching

SEREMBAN - Celebrity preacher PU Azman had allegedly molested her son by inappropriately touching the latter, said one of the victims' mothers at the Sessions Court here today.

The incident was disclosed during a conversation in their kitchen in Klang, Selangor, between August 21 and August 29 last year, said the 45-year-old woman.

"He said PU Azman touched him by holding his hands and when I asked again what the preacher was holding, he just said hands," she told the court.

"He didn't say where he was touched. Maybe he was too shy to tell me but he said the incident took place in Sendayan," he said.

The woman, who is the fifth witness in the case, said she was confident that his son was heterosexual and not gay.

She was in responding to a question by PU Azman's lawyer Fahmi Adilah on whether the victim liked men.

"He doesn't like men. He told me that many girls are interested in him. I know he doesn't like people touching him; I can't either. He feels icky about it," she said, adding that she believes her son was telling the truth and was a victim of PU Azman, or real name Azman Syah Alias.

The lawyer then asked if the woman knew her son had ever asked for money from the accused.

She said she did not know despite RM200 having been deposited into her account by one PU Azman.

"My son had asked for my account number because he said there was money to be returned because he bought the wrong item.

"I only knew it was PU Azman who transferred the money after a police inspector told me; I didn't know PU Azman's real name," he said.

Meanwhile, the sixth witness, a 20-year-old who is an acquaintance of one of the victims, testified in private, as he was uncomfortable with the presence of PU Azman in the accused's dock.

The court then ordered the accused to sit in the public gallery and be blocked by a curtain.

Before that, the youth said he was also a victim of sexual abuse by PU Azman and knew that one of his friends was also a victim.

"I asked him (the victim) since he was close to Cik Man (PU Azman). This is after I was sexually assaulted.

"The incident was at my home in Klang on June 10, 2022. At that time, my mother, sister, me, him (the victim) and Cik Man were in the house," he said.

The prosecution of the case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Balkis Zunaidi, Husni Fairos Ramly and Goh Hsiao Tung.

Separately, the accused was represented by lawyers Mohamad Zahid Ahmad, Fahmi Adilah and Norman Mohd Nasir.

A total of 26 witnesses are expected to be called throughout the trial, which starts today until next July 28.

On Oct 12, 2022, PU Azman was charged with five counts of sexually assaulting two teenage boys in February and July.

He was again charged on Dec 7 for committing sexual conduct and communication, as well as extreme obscenity towards three teenage boys in February, June and August this year.

The offence was allegedly committed in a house's toilet and living room in Taman Tiara Sendayan, in Nilai, on July 6 last year.

In addition, PU Azman is also facing seven more charges related to sexual crimes he allegedly committed against two children and a teenager in the Shah Alam, Klang and Ampang courts.