A five-year-old girl, who a court found had been sexually assaulted by an Australian man in 2010, had withdrawn her complaint, a court prosecutor said yesterday.

Giuseppe Nicolosi, 57, appeared in the Court of Appeal yesterday to fight a conviction and eight-year jail term for having sex with the girl.

Presiding judge Plang Samnang said Nicolosi was charged with buying child prostitution in Siem Reap town.

“He had given her 2,000 riel to [have sex with him],” he said. “He also licked the victim’s vagina.”

But deputy prosecutor Hean Rith said the victim had withdrawn her lawsuit.

“Based on . . . the victim’s answer as well as the official examination of the victim’s vagina, issued by the provincial hospital, the victim was never abused by or had sex with Nicolosi,” he said. “I would drop the charge.”

Nicolosi denied the charge.

“I did not have sex with the victim. I am innocent,” he said.

He had been a victim of police corruption, his lawyer said.

A verdict is due on July 11.

To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at [email protected]