A man who has allegedly confessed to raping and killing an elderly nun at a pagoda in Battambang’s Phnom Prek district on Monday night was sent to the provincial court yesterday.

Chhet Vanny, the provincial police chief, said 22-year-old Savet Kemhab will be charged with rape and murder.

“The suspect clearly committed the crime and he will be punished, because what he did was a cruel and unacceptable act,” he said.

Phnom Prek district police chief Song Sopheak said Kemhab lived in the same pagoda as his alleged victim, 77-year-old Vy Ny, in Buor commune.

The pair had no prior relationship, but on the night of the attack, Kemhab was inebriated and entered the hut where Ny was sleeping, Sopheak said. Hearing screams, others rushed to the scene and saw Kemhab fleeing. He was later found hiding in the pagoda by police.

After examining the victim’s body, police have concluded that Ny was strangled in order to stop her from screaming, Sopheak said.