PHNOM Penh Municipal Court yesterday heard the case stemming from the fourth complaint against a monk accused of surreptitiously filming hundreds of naked women as they bathed at a pagoda in Daun Penh district.
Neth Kai, 35, was arrested on June 26 on suspicion of using a mobile phone to film the women, and the clips were then widely distributed.
Last Thursday, the municipal court found him guilty of distributing pornography and producing child pornography in connection with complaints filed by two underage girls, sentencing him to 17 years in prison. In September, the court found him guilty of distributing pornography in connection with a complaint filed by one woman, who was of age, and sentenced him to one year in prison.
The case heard yesterday involved a 33-year-old alleged victim, who told the court that she saw images of her distributed on mobile phones.
“I recognised my photos very well. I had really been photographed by Neth Kai. Therefore, I would like the court to punish him in accordance with the law,” she said.
She added that she had met Neth Kai once at his room in the pagoda and had asked him to bless water for her.
Her complaint has resulted in a charge of producing pornography, which carries a prison term of between one month and one year.
Yesterday, Neth Kai denied having filmed the woman. “I did not commit any pornographic pictures on this woman. Therefore, I would like to ask the court to drop this charge against me,” he said.
Chea Hey, Neth Kai’s lawyer, said yesterday that allowing three separate cases to go ahead had created undue burdens for his client.
“According to the pictures shown and her explanations in this hearing, I saw that there are many different cases, so I think that it is not reasonable to charge my client,” he said.
A verdict in the case is due on Thursday.
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