A male garment worker was yesterday sentenced to five years in jail for raping a 19-year-old seamstress at a factory in Phnom Penh, despite the woman withdrawing her complaint in a letter to the court.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court presiding judge San Sophath convicted Chan Thy, 28, of raping his colleague Sim Dina on September 11 at the Chi An Garment Factory in Sen Sok district where they both work.

According to a police report, the assault happened at about 6am, before other employees had arrived for work, with Thy arrested after a complaint from the victim’s grandfather.

However, at Thy’s trial on December 14, the court was read a letter from Dina saying the sex was consensual.

Sophath said the defendant, charged under Article 239 of the Penal Code, would get a partially suspended sentence.

“The court sentenced him to 5 years in prison but the term of his punishment was reduced to only two years, with the rest suspended,” Sophath said.

Neither Chan Thy nor his defence lawyer could not be reached yesterday.