A suspect accused of raping a minor is escorted by police after his arrest in Phnom Penh on Thursday. facebook
Phnom Penh Municipal court on Thursday put a man in pre-trial detention after he was arrested for raping a minor on multiple occasions.
Court spokesperson Sous Vichearandy said if convicted, Ratana could face up to 10 years behind bars under Article 42 of the Criminal Code.
According to the municipal anti-human trafficking bureau, Pheng Ratana, 22, a taxi driver from Chamkarmon district, allegedly raped the unidentified 14-year-old girl for the first time in April.
He continued to rape her until recently, when the girl’s father, Chao Sok, 46, from 7 Makara district’s Veal Vong commune, found out and filed a complaint on August 26.
The suspect was arrested later that day in Meanchey district’s Stung Meanchey commune while he was with the girl.
National Military Police spokesman Eng Hy said he was not aware of the case.
“I haven’t received a report yet. Maybe the Phnom Penh military police are working on it. Sometimes a case is too minor for them to report to a spokesman,” he said. “That’s why I don’t know about it.”
According to Article 42 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, the rape of a minor under 15 carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
