Paedophile

A 63-year-old French tourist was convicted on Thursday of purchasing child prostitution, but child protection advocates criticised the court for issuing a suspended sentence under which he could be free within a month. Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Jean-Michel Raymond Charlot guilty of purchasing sex from a 16-year-old girl, a charge that stemmed from a raid last August in which he was caught having sex with the girl at his guesthouse in Srak Chork commune. Charlot was ordered to pay the girl 1 million riels (US$232) in compensation, and was given a three-year sentence. However, all but seven months of the sentence was suspended. Since he has already served six months in pretrial detention, Charlot could be released in March. Samleang Seila, country director for the child protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants, said the decision to suspend the sentence was unacceptable. “We are terribly disappointed at the court’s decision to suspend the rest of his jail term,” he said. Charlot had told the court earlier this week that he had believed the girl was 18 when he paid $10 to have sex with her.