A victim is currently being treated at a private hospital. POLICE
Police in Phnom Penh’s Kamboul district are questioning a military officer from the 911 parachute regiment to build a case file for referral to court after he allegedly beat a 15-year-old boy unconscious on the evening of November 20.
District deputy police chief Chhim Savuth told The Post on November 22 that police had not completed their investigation yet and it was possible that a settlement may be reached between the officer, Vorn Vuthy, and the boy’s family.
“The police will not intervene in the negotiations. If the two sides come to an agreement at some point that is a matter for those parties to decide,” he said.
He added that neither the suspect nor the victim had requested police help with mediation but an official complaint had been made to the police who were now building a case file to determine the facts about what took place.
Savuth said he did not know when exactly the suspect might be sent to court.
“Because we are busy with dealing with crimes like murders it may take time but we will build the case file and collect the evidence in preparation for referral to court,” he said.
Savuth added that the action was taken after receiving a complaint from the mother of the boy – Heng Sok – who requested that the police take action against Vuthy for the alleged assault.
Her complaint details that the incident happened around 5:30pm on November 20 in Kamboul commune of Phnom Penh’s Kamboul district. She sent her son to pick up clothes from the laundry but they weren’t ready yet so the shop owner told him to wait and while waiting he joked around with some friends of his.
The suspect was drinking beer with several of his companions nearby and according to her complaint he approached her son and asked him “Do you want to be a big brother somewhere?” to which her son replied that he was just playing around with his friends.
The suspect then allegedly slapped the boy, kneed him and then grabbed his collar and slammed his head into an ice cooler which knocked him unconscious. Onlookers then intervened to stop the beating.
The boy is currently being treated at a private hospital and his mother, Heng Sok, could not be reached for comment.
“We leave it to the courts to decide because it has nothing to do with military crimes or the Military Law. We do not support the use of violence and we regret that this incident took place. We only ask that the police handle the case in a fair and impartial manner according to the law,” said Ministry of National Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat.
