Pursat Provincial Court Investigating Judge Yin Saroeun on Tuesday sent a man to the provincial prison on charges of rape under Article 239 of the Criminal Code, said spokesman Heng Donin. The victim is a 59-year-old woman.

Anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection chief at the provincial police station Pol Chamroeun told The Post on Tuesday that authorities had sent the suspect, 25-year-old Hean Diel, to the provincial court on Tuesday morning after he was arrested the previous day.

Chamroeun said Diel confessed to raping the woman who lives in the same village as him.

Phnom Kravanh district police chief Vong Saveth told The Post on Tuesday that Diel lived in Kampong Khtum village in Phnom Kravanh district’s Bak Chinhchien commune.

According to Saveth, the incident occurred at around 7:30pm on Sunday during a rainstorm. When the victim attempted to lock her kitchen door, Diel grabbed her and forced her to a pond 60m away, where he raped her before fleeing to his house.

Police arrested the suspect at 6:20am the following morning after the victim’s family filed a complaint.

“The suspect was hiding in his house. He told his wife to get out and locked himself in. When police arrived, the wife told him to open the door or the police will force it open,” Saveth said.