The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday held the owner of a PTT petrol station in the capital’s Dangkor district in pre-trial detention at Prey Sar prison for attacking a teacher on the premises.

Municipal court spokesman Kuch Kimlong told The Post that the suspect had already been questioned by investigating Judge Ek Polifil, who charged him at the behest of a prosecutor.

“The judge charged him with violence with aggravating circumstances under Article 218 of the Criminal Code,” said Kimlong.

If found guilty, the accused faces up to five years in prison and a fine of between two and 10 million riel.

Kimlong said the prosecutor had also questioned the teacher but he was released shortly after as they found no proof that he had secretly taken pictures at the petrol station.

Earlier, on December 16, Sarun Vithorath, 41, together with accomplices, had beaten up teacher Im Sereirath and tied his hands together.

The victim was rescued after the police intervened and taken to hospital with serious facial injuries.

In a Facebook post a few hours after the incident, Sereirath said he had stopped his car at the PTT station to visit the washroom.

He entered the ladies washroom accidentally and was beaten by the suspects as he left.

Sereirath claimed the suspects also questioned him as to who had hired him to cause problems at the station, but he denied the accusation.

“Without police intervention, they would have been attacked me to death,” he said on Facebook.

Kimlong also said the police and court were working to take legal action against the accomplices.