The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court on Wednesday laid charges of rape against a construction worker who was arrested by police on Monday while raping a 12-year-old girl, a police official said.
Moeun Set, 21, was arrested in the province’s Mongkol Borei district after a local farmer told police that she had seen the suspect snatch the girl off her bicycle and pull her into the forest.
Un Sam On, the head of the provincial police’s serious crimes bureau, said the court charged Mr. Set with rape after he confessed to that crime and an earlier rape.
“The provincial deputy prosecutor, Long Cheap, has charged him with rape under aggravating circumstances,” Mr. Sam On said, adding that the suspect had been placed in provisional detention.
According to police, Mr. Set also admitted to raping a 9-year-old girl on January 6 after tricking a small group of students to hide with him in the forest from “robbers.”
“We have enough evidence to accuse him,” Mr. Sam On said. “We have 10 witness reports concerning his activities. The female victims remember his face, even though he was wearing a mask as he raped the girls.”
Mr. Cheap, the deputy prosecutor, confirmed that he had charged Mr. Set with rape, but declined to comment further.
According to Article 241 of the Criminal Code, which deals with rape with aggravating circumstances, Mr. Set faces between seven and 15 years in prison.
Deputy provincial police chief Seth Los said police had closed their investigation into Mr. Set.
“The suspect has confessed what he did, and we have finished our investigation,” he said.
Bin Sophon, provincial monitor for rights group Adhoc, said seven cases of child rape had already been reported in Banteay Meanchey this year.
“We are worried because child rape in our province has significantly increased,” she said.
“I think that the local authorities ought to strengthen the safety and security of each village to prevent these cases,” she added.
