A MAN was presented at the Phnom Penh Municipal court on Sunday on suspicion of brutally beating his six-year-old son in the capital.
Lav Lin, the Interior Ministry’s chief of the Juvenile Protection Office, said police worked with the Child Protection Unit (CPU) to arrest the father, Hin Sophanna, 39, on Friday, after his aunt had filed a complaint to police in Meanchey district’s Stung Meanchey commune.
“According to an examination by the police, the son appeared to be injured on his torso and legs, but we need to wait for the medical result as we have just taken the child to hospital,” he said.
The man has confessed to the accusation, Lin said. He said Sophanna had previously been jailed for five years on charges of robbery and drug dealing.
He was filmed beating his son by the aunt, with the footage later finding its way onto Facebook and being widely shared. Lin said the suspect also beat his older son, aged 15.
“The older son was in fact hit more severely than his younger son,” he said.
According to a report by the Department of Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection of the Interior Ministry, the aunt, Taing Thida, 30, saw the suspect beating the son.
The son, who has not been named, was seen pleading with his father, saying: “Father, I will stop it and I will not dare do it anymore”.
The aunt talked with the older son, Heng Rithy, saying she would film the beatings and post the video on Facebook.
The younger son told police that on the day the assault was filmed, his mother had told him to go and sell food with his brother. After he brought back only 2,500 riel to his mother inside their house, he accidentally dropped it.
After telling him to pick it up, the father accused him of stealing money for himself. Although the son pleaded his innocence, saying he had not stolen any money, the father cursed and beat him.
