Siem Reap, Cambodia – On March 13, 2015, Siem Reap provincial court charged a 32-year-old Swiss national P.R., who ran a holiday villa in Siem Reap, for sexually exploiting three underage boys aged 7, 8 and 9. The court charged P.R with Art. 42 “Sexual Intercourse with Minor under Fifteen Year”. Child protection organization APLE, who assisted the police in the investigation, is ensuring that all victims receive appropriate social and legal support, if requested.
P.R. became the subject of an investigation after a number of reports sent to APLE from child focused organization and general public who came across his suspicious online activities. The preliminary investigation revealed that P.R. was suspiciously associating with multiple underage boys. APLE’s Deputy of Field Operations, Khoem Vando, said about the investigation:
“His online behavior raised serious concerns and warranted an investigation to be opened. After APLE identified a boy who testified that he had been sexually exploited, we advocated strongly with police to identify more victims and collect evidence of the alleged crime.
During the arrest, P.R.’s computer and some other electronic devices were confiscated for further examination.
Mr. Vando added that:
“All victims need special care to go through their healing process. Abuse is a life-long nightmare, regardless of who the victims are and whether they will be involved in further legal proceedings or not.
