Phnom Penh Municipal Court is today expected to charge three of four suspects in the violent rape of a 17-year-old girl last week.
According to municipal penal police chief Chuon Narin, the three men were arrested last Thursday and Friday after quick work by police.
Twenty-year-old Taing Chhun, 29-year-old Ou Soeun, and Liev Dy, 30, were apprehended at their Phnom Penh Thmei commune rental home in Sen Sok district –not far from where the victim was pistol whipped abducted in her own car, which was driven to Kompong Speu province where she was raped and then robbed in the presence of her 4-year-old niece.
Ou Soeun and a fourth suspect, Chan Ny, who is on the run, are suspected of rape. The other two suspects are believed to be involved only with the kidnapping.
In “this case, we used all of our specialist forces to investigate,” said Eng Sophea, deputy bureau chief for Phnom Penh penal police, adding that cooperation from the victim played a vital role in identifying the four suspects.
“The victim recognized the perpetrators well because the car lights went on when they opened the door. If there was no cooperation from the victim’s family, it would have been hard to find the perpetrators,” he stressed.
The father of the victim, a high-ranking military police officer, said yesterday that he was pleased by police’s speedy work.
“I admire the police work on this case. They worked very fast because they had a good network set up,” he said. “We have been cooperating with them and we discussed how to find the suspects.”
The father added that he will be keeping a close eye on the case to make sure the criminals are charged adequately.
“I want to make sure my daughter will not face injustice. I want the perpetrators to be completely charged with rape of a minor.”
Deputy prosecutor Ek Chheng Huot said Sunday that he had received the suspects and questioned them.
They court was likely to be charge them today with “robbery, rape and using an illegal weapon,” he said.
