A 52-YEAR-OLD man has been held for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl in Battambang’s Kamrieng district on Sunday, said Nget Vanna, the district chief of the penal police.

Vanna said So Dy raped his neighbour while she was visiting his home. “He had been drinking, and when she was in another room, he asked her to exchange a winning beer-can tab for a free beer at the local vendor.

When she reached for it, he grabbed and pulled her to the bed and raped her,” Vanna said, adding that the victim’s aunt was suspicious because when she went to pick her up they were sleeping in the same bed.

So she reported what she saw to the police, he said, adding Dy is being detained pending trial.