A week after his arrest, the deputy principal of a Phnom Penh international school accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old student was charged on Friday and sent to Prey Sar prison to await trial, a court spokesman said.
Mark Andrew Smith, 39, a U.K. national, was charged with indecent assault with aggravating circumstances after an hour’s questioning before Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge Y Thavrak, spokeman Sous Vichearandy said.
Mr. Smith was arrested on July 21 as he left Golden Bridge International School of Phnom Penh.
Sem Malis, Mr. Smith’s 30-year-old girlfriend, on Thursday repeated earlier claims that the father of two was innocent and said police had told her they had found nothing to support his guilt on the school’s surveillance cameras.
The charge carries a sentence of up to five years and a fine of 10 million riel, or about $2,500.
