A polygamist who allegedly raped his two stepdaughters was detained and charged by Kampong Cham Provincial Court yesterday after authorities received a complaint filed by the victims’ mother, a court official said.

According to deputy prosecutor Sorn Mony, the court has already charged 42-year-old Meng Hong with the rape of his stepdaughters – who are the children of his second current wife from a previous marriage – and has forwarded the case to the investigating judge for further examination.

An Kimsry, deputy police chief of Chamkar Leu district, said the suspect is a farmer and sometimes-farm caretaker for others in Poprok village, in Stung Trang district’s Soupheas commune.

“Based on the confession of the suspect, the two victims have been raped many times,” said Kimsry, adding that the story came to light after the younger sister expressed her fear to her mother, who took her to be examined at a clinic.

Kimsry said that in addition to the two current wives that the suspect confessed to having, he had reportedly also had multiple mistresses, and was living with his two stepdaughters and nine children – one from his first current marriage, and eight from two previous ones.

The suspected also confessed to the alleged rapes, Kimsry added, saying that on the nights of September 20 and 21, he had taken the younger of the two stepdaughters, 13, and her mother to a banana farm that he was watching for another villager.

Telling the mother to stay in the farm’s shack and keep an eye out for banana thieves, Hong allegedly took the girl into the banana trees and raped her.

Hong also reportedly confessed to having raped the elder stepdaughter repeatedly since early 2011, and to threatening to kill her and her sister if she ever told her mother, Kimsry said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Sarom at [email protected]