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| Six-month sentence for J.C. Demeret for purchase of child prostitution |
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The Phnom Penh municipal court has sentenced Jean Claude Pierre Demeret to 6 months in prison for the "purchase of child prostitution".
Demeret was arrested on August 20, 2009, in the area hotel of Boeing Kak. The Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit conducted a search of his room, and they confiscated dozens of pornographic photographs, where the 16-year-old boy in the case appeared alongside the Frenchman.
During the trial, Demeret’s lawyer defended his client, claiming him to be a victim of a police trap involving Protect. At first, the judge seemed to consider this argument, stating that in recent years, four foreign nationals have expressed this same claim. However, 62-year-old Demeret, himself, reported having had sex with the 16-year-old boy.
Finally, the verdict handed down by the Court of Phnom Penh ruled on January 26, 2010, sentencing Jean Claude Pierre Demeret to 3 years suspended sentence, 6 months of which he must remain in prison. The Frenchman must pay $238 compensation to the victim and a $46 fine.
Seila Samleang, director of Protect in Cambodia, said it would appeal the sentence, considering it grossly unfair by the lightness of the sentence, which minimizes the efforts of the authorities involved in the case.
More information about the case:
Two French citizens, M.J.R.C. and C.J.P.D., formally arrested and charged with human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children |
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