A 37-year-old man was arrested on Thursday evening for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl in Preak Sihanouk province, according to police. Police say that Noun Pha, a scavenger in Sihanoukville, invited the girl to his apartment on Thursday evening and proceeded to touch her sexually.
“The suspect didn’t rape the victim but only sexually assaulted her,” said Sihanoukville police chief Phol Phorsda. He said that the victim’s mother alerted police of what she suspected of being rape after witnessing the man drunkenly touching her daughter.
“The suspect said that he only intended to talk to the girl. After questioning, it is obvious that the victim’s mother wants to resolve the problem by getting money from the suspect,” Mr. Phorsda said.
Mr. Pha was being detained in Preah Sihanouk provincial office up to Friday afternoon, and police said they did not know when he would be charged or sent to court.
“Fortunately, we were able to arrest the suspect before the victim got raped,” Mr. Phorsda said.
