AN 18-year-old student was charged at court with the rape of six-year-old girl in Battambang’s Ratanak Mondol district on Saturday, a police official said yesterday.

Cheth Vanny, deputy chief of the Battambang police, said yesterday that Minh Sok Chea, 18, a ninth grade student at Neng Lem Middle School, was arrested on Thursday in Sdao commune’s Neang Lem village after a complaint was filed by the alleged victim’s family.

“He had raped [the girl] three times at the victim’s house before he was arrested. He was then charged with raping the six-year-old,” Cheth Venny said.

He added that the middle-school student was now being detained at Battambang provincial prison ahead of his trial.

Cheth Vanny said that the suspect had been staying with the victim’s parents while he was attending school and that the three rapes were suspected to have occurred on May 23, May 30, and most recently on Wednesday. He added that the complaint was filed to police after the girl spoke to her parents.