Woman Raped and Husband Murdered in K Speu Attack

Police in Kompong Speu pro­vince yesterday arrested one of three men accused of clubbing a 68-year-old man to death and gang-raping his 29-year-old wife early yesterday morning in Samraong Tong district, police said.

Deputy provincial police chief Soum Bora said that 68-year-old Nuon Sok was killed instantly af­ter one of the suspects struck him on the head with a wooden stick at about 12:30 a.m. as the couple was walking home from a wedding in Thoammda Or commune.

“According to the woman, the three men raped her,” he said, adding that the woman had filed a complaint with commune authorities immediately after the attack.

“We have arrested one of the three suspects and we are questioning him,” he said. Mr. Bora declined to elaborate on the identity of the detained man because he is still being questioned.

“We have also identified the other two suspects and are searching in order to arrest them too,” Mr. Bora said.

Ouch Bo, provincial coordinator of rights group Adhoc, said that the number of rapes in Kom­pong Speu has increased this year compared with last year although she was not sure about the precise figures.

“Rape cases occur from several factors and impunity is one of them,” she said, adding that rapists often escape facing charges by simply paying off victim’s families.

“The families accept compensation and drop the cause because they are poor and think that they are unable to win the case,” she said.

A man was arrested last week after raping his 7- and 11-year-old stepdaughters in Thpong district’s Omlaing commune. Following the attack, the man entered a pagoda asking to be admitted with hopes that his sudden sense of spirituality would help him avoid capture, but he was quickly apprehended.

Also in Thpong district, the body of a 7-year-old girl was discovered on Feb. 9 after being raped and strangled to death behind her home.

 

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