A Malaysian army boxer is suing nine other soldiers who allegedly beat him up because they envied his good looks, the Bernama news agency reported today.

Private Mohammad Suhaimi Abu Bakar, 22, said in a statement to the civil high court that he was waylaid and beaten by his colleagues while on his way to the toilet after a training bout in March last year, according to the agency.

After hitting him with metal rods the soldiers threw him into the toilet, Mohammad said, leaving him in a coma for three months.

Severe injuries

He was told that he had been beaten because the other soldiers were envious of his good looks, muscular body, his status as a boxing champion and his bright future with the Royal Malay Regiment, according to the statement.

As a result of his severe injuries he had been disfigured and was no longer the handsome, muscular and stable person who had received full marks for admission into the army, Bernama quoted him as saying.

He is seeking unspecified damages for losses, pain and hardship, saying he had been reduced to doing office work at the military camp.