US pedophile on trial in Battambang for child rape

Robert Boehnlein, a convicted American child sex offender, is escorted by local police after his arrest last month at a restaurant in Battambang town. He was tried Wednesday. Supplied

US citizen Robert Boehnlein, who is accused of raping a 5-year-old girl in Battambang, was tried on Wednesday in Battambang Provincial Court, though no verdict was rendered.

Boehnlein, who is a convicted child sex offender in the US, was arrested by immigration police in Battambang town last July at the request of US officials.

The 66-year-old was previously convicted of sodomy and indecent acts with a child in Texas in 2002. According to records from the military court, Boehnlein had sexually abused his daughter for years. He was released from prison in 2011.

At the time of his arrest in Battambang, Boehnlein was wanted in the US for moving without notifying authorities.

According to Cambodian officials, Boehnlein had shuttled between Battambang and Siem Reap for years. His accuser, a 5-year-old girl, told authorities that Boehnlein had raped her several times in
2016 at the house in which she was living.

If convicted, he faces seven to 15 years in prison.

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