Villagers in a Prey Veng province community were horrified over the weekend after one of their neighbours allegedly confessed to digging up and sexually mutilating the dead body of a 17-year-old girl.

Chin Chhean yesterday admitted to police he dug up the body of the girl – who died of a blood disease three days prior – and attempted sexual intercourse, before cutting off one of her nipples and falling asleep on her chest, alleged Chan Sarin, police chief of Kampong Trabek district’s Prey Poun commune.

“Many villagers said that the suspect has mental problems,” Sarin told the Post yesterday. “But there are no documents that prove he is mentally ill, so police are preparing a lawsuit.”

After attending the girl’s funeral, Chhean returned to her burial site, about 100 metres from her family’s home, at about 10:30pm on Saturday, Sarin said. He dug up the body and cracked open the casket, dragged the body out of the ground and undressed it.

Chhean confessed to police that when he found himself unable to achieve a state of arousal – despite watching pornography on his phone in an attempt to do so – he used a knife to cut off one of the nipples and fell asleep, Sarin said.

The girl’s father came upon the horrifying scene the next morning, waking up Chhean, who then ran back to his house, Sarin said.

Such a case is troubling to the entire community, said Kampong Trabek district governor Chan Rann.

“I think only a crazy or sex-obsessed person could do a thing like this,” Rann said.