A Kampong Thom high-school teacher was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly raping his 12-year-old student four times last week, with the case now at the provincial court.

Srey Khim, a 46-year-old teacher from Hun Sen Balang High School, lived near the victim’s home in Stung Sen district and allegedly raped her from November 7 to 11, and was taken into custody only after the victim’s mother lodged a complaint with the police on Tuesday.

Ke Khanara, deputy provincial police chief for criminal offences, said the Child Protection Unit (CPU) assisted the police in confirming the rape at a local hospital, after which the suspect was arrested.

“[Tuesday] night we arrested him [Khim], and he confessed,” Khanara said. “There is evidence beyond doubt.”

Meas Vathanak, deputy prosecutor for Kampong Thom Provincial Court, said Khim had been charged with rape under Article 241 of the Criminal Code and that the case was now in the investigation phase.

The victim’s mother, Sorn Sily, said she had noticed Khim at the back door of her home last week but only realised her daughter had been raped when she asked for medicine. “She asked for a thousand riel from me, and I asked her what she needed the money for. She said to buy medicine, and then she told me [about the rape],” Sily said.

Sily said that Khim gave her daughter money on all four occasions to stay silent, even threatening to kill her if she told anyone about the incidents. The CPU’s director, Jim McCabe, said yesterday that as unfortunate as the case was, it was encouraging that the mother was quick to report it to the police and the perpetrator was apprehended.

He added that there has been increased reporting in rape cases stemming from increased confidence in law enforcement’s ability to prosecute such cases. “It is terrible we are seeing more cases. But there has been a real change and cases are being reported,” he said.