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| Dutch national Stefan Struik outside the Mondulkiri Provincial Court earlier this month. Photo supplied |
Alleged child torturer’s confession read aloud
Phnom Penh Post | 22 June 2017
A
Vietnamese national charged with torturing a toddler was tried in absentia in a
Mondulkiri court yesterday, where his Dutch boyfriend also faces charges in
connection to the alleged abuse.
The crime
sent shockwaves across Cambodia and the world after videos of the young child
being tasered and sexually assaulted were posted to the internet in December.
The
alleged perpetrator, Nguyen Tangdung, 25, fled to Vietnam with the alleged
assistance of his partner, Dutch national, Stefan Struik, but was arrested by
Vietnamese police in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tangdung’s
confession was read aloud in court, according to a Child Protection Unit court
observer, who asked to remain anonymous. Tangdung confessed that he tortured
the child because he was under the influence of drugs, she said.
Struik,
meanwhile, “confessed that he did not commit the torture, but he knew about the
incident”.
Tangdung
was charged under Article 211 of the Cambodian Criminal Code – torture or
barbarous acts with aggravating circumstances due to the young age of the
victim – which is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.
Struik
was charged under articles 530 and 532, for failing to lodge a complaint about
mistreatment or sexual abuse of a minor and for “hiding leads”. Each charge
carries a jail term of up to three years.
Court
spokesman Meas Pros said the trial concluded yesterday and a verdict is
expected in due course.
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