The Appeal Court on Thursday upheld the provincial court’s 10-year sentence meted out on Nuon Ratha for raping his daughter in Tbong Khmum province in 2017.

Judge Nguon Ratana said: “The appeal court will uphold the decision of the Tboung Khmum Provincial Court and has decided to keep the suspect in prison.

“If the suspect is not satisfied, you have one month to file an appeal as permitted by law,” Judge Ratana said.

Ratha had admitted to the crime at his appeal hearing on October 7.

He pleaded guilty and asked the Appeal Court to reduce his sentence to five years in prison.

According to the court report, Ratha, 38, was divorced and remarried another woman. His 14-year-old daughter had been staying with them.

Not being close to her stepmother, the girl regularly went to sleep with her father.

He raped her on three occasions in September 2017 and threatened the victim into remaining silent.

However, Ratha regularly beat his wife and daughter. The victim could not endure the abuse and told her stepmother to file a complaint to the commune police, which arrested him.

The Tbong Khmum Provincial Court on April 11 last year found Ratha guilty of “rape with aggravating circumstances due to the position of the perpetrator” under Article 240 of the Criminal Code and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.