A 32-year-old fisherman who allegedly left a woman badly injured after she fought off his rape attempt early Monday morning in Preah Sihanouk province was arrested Monday, while a construction worker in Banteay Meanchey province has been charged over the indecent assault of a 3-year-old girl, police said.
Tith Choeun, a fisherman from Kampot province, was arrested at about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning in Sihanoukville about two hours after trying to rape the 31-year-old woman at her home in Muoy commune, according to Sihanoukville penal police chief Nop Saroeun.
“While the woman was still sleeping in her room the suspect came into the house and tried to remove her clothing,” he said. “The suspect tried to rape her but she struggled and fought back.”
Mr. Saroeun added that after the victim shouted for help, Mr. Choeun grabbed a butcher’s knife and slashed the woman’s head and body multiple times before fleeing.
“We arrested him later while he was hiding in a fishing boat that was parked at the fishing dock” in the same commune, he said.
Mr. Saroeun added that the victim remained in a serious condition at a private clinic in Sihanoukville on Monday evening, while the suspect had confessed to the crime and would be sent to the provincial court today to be charged.
In a separate case, the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court on Sunday charged a 46-year-old construction worker with the indecent assault of a 3-year-old girl in Poipet City a day earlier, police said Monday.
Mien Moeun was arrested on Saturday night at a construction site in Poipet commune, where he allegedly assaulted the girl, according to commune police chief Im Sophearak.
Mr. Sophearak said the girl’s grandfather and other workers caught Mr. Moeun attacking the child and detained him before calling the police.
“The suspect confessed to committing the crime because he was drunk,” he said. “He was arrested and also put in the provincial prison yesterday.”
