A man who killed three people in a hit-and-run crash last March – and then was beaten into a coma by a mob – was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Nou Veasna also ordered Meas Sokheng, 30, to pay a $2,500 fine and $40,000 to the families of the three dead and one of the injured.
Three years is the maximum sentence for Sokheng’s charges, although Veasna suspended one year of the sentence. Sokheng has already spent 10 months in prison.
Sokheng was charged last year with “careless driving” after he tried to flee a minor collision and knocked over several motorcyclists as he sped the wrong way up Monivong Boulevard, killing a family of three and injuring eight more.
A mob, captured on video, quickly caught up to and brutally beat Sokheng into a coma and tried to set his car on fire.
At his trial in December, Sokheng appeared to have cognitive difficulties and was unable to recall even basic information such as his date of birth and where he lives. At the time, his lawyer asked the court to be lenient given his mental state, although neither side submitted a medical report.
Sokheng did not speak at his sentencing hearing yesterday, although he was heard later asking police to explain his sentence to him.
