Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday concluded its trial of a family accused of conspiracy, illegally detaining a fortune teller and four of his students for a day and a night, and forcing them to smoke meth in Por Sen Chey district’s Chom Chao commune last July.

Presiding judge Duch Kimsorn said defendants Chen Chanthy and Krouch Samoeun – the son-in-law and daughter of the owner of the house where the victims were allegedly held – and accomplices Krouch Sam Oeun, head of the household, his wife Chea Thorn and son Krouch Bunthoeun had “tortured a fortune teller and his four students, [forcing them] to smoke drugs”.

“They also illegally detained them in their house and forced them to work with them selling drugs,” said Kimsorn.

One 19-year-old victim called her alleged attackers “very cruel and inhumane”.

“They beat and detained me in their house. They threatened to rape me or sell me to brothels if I did not accept to work for them,” she said, adding that she was also forced to perform oral sex on another man present known only as “Peo”, who had escaped.

Another victim, 17, said that she too “was beaten two times with a belt by a man . . . [and] was forcibly raped by him”.  

The five victims are asking for a total of $50,000 damages.

The suspects yesterday admitted detaining the fortune teller, saying he had cheated them out of $1,101, but continued to deny the other allegations, which

last week they blamed on Peo.

A verdict will be handed down on April 8.