Suspect in rape case awaits trial

THE Siem Reap Provincial Court on April 4 placed a middle-aged man in pre-trial detention after he was arrested for allegedly raping his four-yearold granddaughter in February in Siem Reap town’s Sra Nge commune.

Court spokesman Yin Srang identified the man as Leak Leang, a 52year-old resident of the commune.

“The suspect was charged with sexual intercourse with a minor under 15 years of age under Article 42 of the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and has been sent to the investigating judge for further procedures,” he said.

Leang faces a prison sentence of between five and 10 years if found guilty.

Citing the victim’s aunt, provincial deputy police chief Duong Thavry said the child’s father had died and her mother had found a new husband. As she was busy with work, she took her daughter to live with the suspect.

Thavry said the victim told her aunt that Leang raped her in February. After learning of the incident, the aunt filed a complaint with the anti-trafficking police on April 3, leading to his arrest. The suspect has confessed to his crime.

“Before the police arrested the suspect, we thoroughly investigated the case. We have verified the accounts of the victim and suspect to see if they were consistent, so we detained him,” Thavry said.