A mentally unstable man has been sent to court in Kampong Chhnang province after allegedly hurling his three-year-old niece against a pillar and beating her with a bamboo stick, leaving her seriously injured.

The incident took place on Saturday in O’Sandan village in Rolea Ba’ier district’s Teuk Hout commune.

Srey Soda, the provincial chief of the bureau for prevention of trafficking and protection of minors, told The Post the man threw his niece violently against the pillar and struck her head with a bamboo stick, severely injuring her.

Soda said the girl was sent to the provincial hospital but, due to the severity of her injuries, she was then sent to a hospital in the capital.

“He beat her with a bamboo stick. Now she’s being looked after in Phnom Penh, but we haven’t received an update on her condition."

“She was seriously injured. Because provincial doctors couldn’t treat her injuries, she was sent to a hospital in Phnom Penh,” Soda said.

He said the man had used drugs in the past and that he suffered from mental health problems.

“This man is the sort of person who has a clear mind 50 per cent of the time, but at other times, he exhibits symptoms of mental illness. He also used to be addicted to drugs,” Soda said.

Rolea Ba’ier district police chief Tim Chanthy told The Post the man is single and lives with his father and younger brother.

He said that as far as he knew, the man had never been violent before and it was the first time he had hurt his niece.

Chanthy said the suspect had suffered from mental health issues since birth, and his disease manifests itself intermittently.

“He suffers from this illness occasionally, but not every day. Sometimes he just paces backwards and forwards aimlessly,” he said.