Child rapist's appeal fails

A CAMBODIAN appeals court today upheld a 20-year prison sentence against an Australian for child rape. Bart Lauwaert, 39, a former English language teacher, was convicted in 2003 of raping nine house maids, aged between 12 and 14, at the tourist town of Siem Reap, not far from famous Angkor temples. At an appeal hearing in Phnom Penh last week, Lauwaert denied they were ever assaulted. His trial had been called into question over allegations that the victims had been coached by anti-child sex activists to testify against him. Last week the girls dropped their original complaints. Instead they told the appeals court that the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre (CWCC), a non-governmental organisation, had urged them to testify against Lauwaert, claiming he would be forced to pay them money if he was found guilty.

Read More