Adhoc: Complaints Yet To Be Filed in Rape Case

Human rights workers in Kratie province have intervened in the case of a 25-year-old primary school teacher accused of sexually abusing five young female students, two of whom he allegedly raped on multiple occasions.

Ouk Sopy was accused last week by the parents of two 8-year-old students who said they were raped, but Tim Narin, Kratie pro­vincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, said Thursday that po­lice had yet to send the complaints to the provincial court.

“We do not know what is behind the delay,” Tim Narin said. “Med­ical examinations show both victims were raped,” she said. Villa­gers have also reported that the suspect is still hanging around Kra­tie town, she added.

Provincial police chief Choung Seang Hak told reporters Wednes­day that he had filed complaints with the provincial court Mon­day. But Thursday, Kratie’s anti-human trafficking police chief, Keo Srey Sey, retracted that report.

“Actually, we have not filed complaints at the court yet,” he said, adding that police were having trouble gathering evidence. “We are now investigating more.”

The father of one of the 8-year-old girls said Thursday that his daughter is currently being assisted by a child protection NGO in Phnom Penh.

Seng Nisith, director of Chang­var Kohdach primary school where the teacher allegedly at­tacked his young pupils, said Thursday that the suspect’s behavior appeared to be normal in the classroom, but neighbors around the school had complained about him.

“Villagers hated him,” he said.

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