PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Nine Cambodian girls on Thursday recanted their accusations against a convicted Australian rapist, saying that a nonprofit women's group abused and coerced them into giving testimony that led to his conviction three years ago.
The girls told Cambodia's Appeals Court that 39-year-old Bart Lauwaert was innocent.
Lauwaert is appealing his 2003 rape conviction and a 20-year prison sentence. The girls were between 14 and 18 years old when he allegedly abused them, and two of them worked as maids at his house in Siem Reap until his arrest in 2002.
But in an unusual twist Thursday, the girls said they were coerced by the nonprofit Cambodian Women's Crisis Center (CWCC), which had provided them with shelter, into accusing Lauwaert of raping them.
"Bart is innocent. He is like a Buddhist monk," Khoeun Savy, now 18.
"I am dropping the charge against him because he never raped me. At the provincial court, the organization (CWCC) made me say he had raped me," she added.
Hoeung Kieng, also believed to be in her late teens, said the CWCC "detained me at their center for six months and mentally tortured me by not letting us out of the compound."
Oung Chanthol, the CWCC director, said the girls were originally brought to her center in Siem Reap by provincial police, who had received complaints about sexual abuse inside Lauwaert's residence. The nonprofit CWCC was established in 1997 to combat violence against women and children.
She said the girls had remained consistent in their original allegations against Lauwaert up through the trial in early 2003.
"For me, it is regretful that the children have been manipulated," Oung Chanthol said. "This is not a usual case. Money must have been involved. They have been instigated into changing their stories."
The nine alleged victims attended Thursday's hearing without any legal representation. They were accompanied by their parents and denied they had been bribed by the defense to drop their complaints against Lauwaert.
Saly Theara, who led the three-judge Appeals Court panel, adjourned the hearing until June 9 to announce the verdict.
After the hearing, Lauwaert, who was born in Belgium, said he was "totally innocent."
"I never abused or raped anyone," he said. "No one ever complained against me until the CWCC kidnapped the girls (from) my house, and they offered them money to complain against foreigners."
Oung Chanthol flatly denied the allegation. (AP)
June 1, 2006
The girls told Cambodia's Appeals Court that 39-year-old Bart Lauwaert was innocent.
Lauwaert is appealing his 2003 rape conviction and a 20-year prison sentence. The girls were between 14 and 18 years old when he allegedly abused them, and two of them worked as maids at his house in Siem Reap until his arrest in 2002.
But in an unusual twist Thursday, the girls said they were coerced by the nonprofit Cambodian Women's Crisis Center (CWCC), which had provided them with shelter, into accusing Lauwaert of raping them.
"Bart is innocent. He is like a Buddhist monk," Khoeun Savy, now 18.
"I am dropping the charge against him because he never raped me. At the provincial court, the organization (CWCC) made me say he had raped me," she added.
Hoeung Kieng, also believed to be in her late teens, said the CWCC "detained me at their center for six months and mentally tortured me by not letting us out of the compound."
Oung Chanthol, the CWCC director, said the girls were originally brought to her center in Siem Reap by provincial police, who had received complaints about sexual abuse inside Lauwaert's residence. The nonprofit CWCC was established in 1997 to combat violence against women and children.
She said the girls had remained consistent in their original allegations against Lauwaert up through the trial in early 2003.
"For me, it is regretful that the children have been manipulated," Oung Chanthol said. "This is not a usual case. Money must have been involved. They have been instigated into changing their stories."
The nine alleged victims attended Thursday's hearing without any legal representation. They were accompanied by their parents and denied they had been bribed by the defense to drop their complaints against Lauwaert.
Saly Theara, who led the three-judge Appeals Court panel, adjourned the hearing until June 9 to announce the verdict.
After the hearing, Lauwaert, who was born in Belgium, said he was "totally innocent."
"I never abused or raped anyone," he said. "No one ever complained against me until the CWCC kidnapped the girls (from) my house, and they offered them money to complain against foreigners."
Oung Chanthol flatly denied the allegation. (AP)
June 1, 2006
7 comments:
Guilty or NOT,,, It's hard to tell. I can't figure this one out.
sorry...I can't make decision.
That part of life! not thing 100% just!
whish there is no enoccent person get hurt!
Maybe they were paid-off to changed their story. Imaging what $100 can do to a poor family in Cambodia.
To 3:31 am
I totally agree with you! I remembered back then when some NGO trying to save women and girl from this nightclub or hotel. The NGO saved over 87 women and girls from sex slave and AH HUN SEN sent his gangs to free those women and girl and make them change their story!
Too poor to live, Too poor to stand up for one right,and too poor to die!
THEY MAY PAID OFF TO MAKE UP THE STORY THE FIRST PLACE TOO!
To 9:15
fahahaha! Don't you think it is logical for a bachelor man to hang around with so many underage girls or women with an intend to have sex? Come on now! I don't care if he hang around at the nightclub!
If I remember right, it is the same judge and same CWCC (Siem Reap) run by the judge's sister that did the same thing to Clint Betterridge and Rudolf Knuchel. Knuchel was freed because the mother one of the witnesses stood up demanded the $10,000 promised by the CWCC in front of the judge! Betterridge was convicted when not present, but his Australian lawyer signed a statement about people from Cambodia phoning her to try to get an insurance payout they knew he had received,which was where the blackmail started. Too many similarities between all of these cases not to be a scam to rip off foreigners. The World Bank needs to look into the aid being given these NGO's!
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