A British national allegedly caught engaging in intercourse with an eight-year-old boy was arrested in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district on Sunday evening.

Richard William Fruin, a teacher at the Universal English School, was arrested at Boeung Meas Guesthouse in Srah Chak commune, Colonel Lao Lin, chief of Anti-Human Trafficking and the Juvenile Protection office of the Ministry of Interior, confirmed.

“He will soon be sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court to be charged after officials complete his interrogation,” Lin said, noting the eight-year-old victim had been rescued during the suspect’s arrest.

Fruin, 36, would be charged with soliciting child prostitution, Lin added.

“He’s still being questioned by our police at the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Office.”

The arrest was the conclusion of a nearly month-long operation conducted by NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), an investigation connecting the suspect to up to three other instances of underage sex with young boys at the same guesthouse.

Vando Khoem, deputy director of APLE’s project combating sexual abuse of children and human trafficking, lauded the efforts of anti-trafficking police involved in the operation.

“It was a strong message to all foreign nationals and foreign tourists that Cambodia is not a haven for sexual abuse against children,” Koem said.

Fruin and his legal representation could not be reached for comment yesterday.