The Supreme Court on April 20 heard the appeal of a British man’s conviction for sexual assault allegedly committed in Sala Kamroeuk commune’s Trapeang Treng village of Siem Reap town in 2020.

In the court room, Judge Kong Darachat read out records in the presence of Matthew William, the 39-year-old British national accused of the crime, who was provided with an interpreter for the hearing.

According to the records, William came to Cambodia in late 2013 and worked as a teacher at a private school in Siem Reap. He later married a Cambodian woman and had two daughters – one is now aged 11 and the other seven months old.

The incidents in question occurred when his wife’s sister sent her 13-year-old daughter to stay with his family for a period of time and during her stay – when his wife was not at home – William allegedly touched the girl in a sexual manner, including her private parts.

The victim told her mother what had happened when she resumed living with her and they lodged a complaint against the accused. Two months after the complaint was filed, William was arrested and sent to the provincial court.

The case was heard by the Siem Reap Provincial Court in October 2020 and William was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and fined four million riel ($1,000) with another 10 million riel paid to the girl’s mother as compensation.

The accused then appealed to the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal, which upheld the verdict on March 11, 2021.

At the Supreme Court hearing on April 20, Judge Chhuon Chantha stated that based on a close examination of the facts and the consistency of the girl’s testimonies, it was apparent that the accused had indeed committed the crimes for which he was charged.

“The Siem Reap Provincial Court and the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal have ruled in accordance with the law, and I thereby uphold the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal verdict,” he said.

According to procedure, all of the Supreme Court judges will vote on the matter at some point after the hearing and then issue a ruling reflecting the majority opinion of the court.

The defendant’s lawyer, So Mossenny, stated to the court that the victim’s mother had filed a complaint in March 2020 and it was fully two months later before the police arrested his client and they did not perform any investigation aside from relying on the information in the victim’s complaint.

He claimed that the Siem Reap Provincial Court and the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal also violated the law by issuing rulings without any focus on actual evidence.

“At the Siem Reap Provincial Court, the prosecutor charged my client and sent him to trial immediately without first going through the investigating judge. To give justice to my client, I ask the Supreme Court to return the case to the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal,” he said.

The victim’s civil lawyer, who asked not to be named, concluded that his client was only 13 years old and that the accused had violated the trust placed in family members when he sexually abused her.

“Examining the facts shows that there are enough elements to charge the accused. The sentences of both courts were correct. I request the Supreme Court uphold the sentence of two and a half years,” he said.

After the conclusion of arguments, presiding Judge Sathavy said the verdict would be announced on May 4.