A guilty verdict against three students convicted of gang-raping a 15-year-old girl last year was upheld by the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Four men were originally convicted for the crime, which took place on April 30 last year. But one of the students, Chea Chhunly, who has been on the run since the incident, was acquitted yesterday and all charges against him were dropped.

“The Court of Appeal upholds the verdict from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court … except against Chea Chhunly, who has been acquitted,” Nguon Im, president of the Court of Appeals Council, said. “If the accused are not satisfied, they can appeal to the Supreme Court.”

The municipal court found that one of the men, Horn Heng, 22, had brought a girl to Sen Sok district where he and three friends raped her. The four were sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 10 million riel.