Phnom Penh (dpa) - At least one German Federal police officer will travel to Cambodia next week after two German nationals were charged with child sex offences, an embassy official said Friday.
It is too early to say whether or not Germany would consider the men's extradition to face charges at home, said Theo Kidess, German embassy deputy head of mission in Phnom Penh.
Kidess said a federal police official based in Bangkok would arrive next week to investigate the case but declined to say if the officer would be investigating possible links to a larger paedophile ring tracing back to Germany.
"I believe one but maybe more federal officers will look at the cases since these charges are also punishable in Germany," Kiddess said.
German nationals Karl Heinz Henning, 60, of Bad Essen, and teacher Thomas Sigwart Eugen Baron von Engelhardt, 42, of Munich, were arrested earlier this week and have been charged with debauchery - the Cambodian name for paedophilia-related charges - after police allegedly uncovered dozens of hard core pornographic videos and computer files featuring children as young as 10 in Henning's Phnom Penh flat.
Police alleged von Engelhardt features in at least one of the videos, which they said show Vietnamese girls aged 10 to 14 being subjected to violent bondage-style sexual acts. They added that the girls allege they were drugged prior to being repeatedly raped.
Five children have been remanded in protective police custody, and police said they fear they may discover more victims as they continue to sift through evidence. They are also seeking more foreign men they believe are involved in what could be the largest child sex network ever uncovered in Cambodia.
Three Vietnamese adults have also been charged in connection with the case. Cheng Thit Heu, 45, is accused of providing her two children, one aged just 10, for sex. Her sister, Cheng Thit You, 21, and her husband, Nguyen Hong Voeng, 20, have been charged with human trafficking after police alleged they pimped the children.
Cambodian police acted on a tip-off from neighbours who became suspicious of the large number of young girls visiting Henning's home, located on a bustling suburban street of the capital. Harrowing evidence allegedly taken from the home includes a range of sexual and bondage paraphernalia, illegal in Cambodia, mixed with children's toys.
Kidess said it was too early to comment on whether the German police might be investigating possible links to Germany.
"It is a very open possibility. There might be. There might not," he said.
Police said Friday that the investigation was ongoing. Debauchery carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail in Cambodia.
It is too early to say whether or not Germany would consider the men's extradition to face charges at home, said Theo Kidess, German embassy deputy head of mission in Phnom Penh.
Kidess said a federal police official based in Bangkok would arrive next week to investigate the case but declined to say if the officer would be investigating possible links to a larger paedophile ring tracing back to Germany.
"I believe one but maybe more federal officers will look at the cases since these charges are also punishable in Germany," Kiddess said.
German nationals Karl Heinz Henning, 60, of Bad Essen, and teacher Thomas Sigwart Eugen Baron von Engelhardt, 42, of Munich, were arrested earlier this week and have been charged with debauchery - the Cambodian name for paedophilia-related charges - after police allegedly uncovered dozens of hard core pornographic videos and computer files featuring children as young as 10 in Henning's Phnom Penh flat.
Police alleged von Engelhardt features in at least one of the videos, which they said show Vietnamese girls aged 10 to 14 being subjected to violent bondage-style sexual acts. They added that the girls allege they were drugged prior to being repeatedly raped.
Five children have been remanded in protective police custody, and police said they fear they may discover more victims as they continue to sift through evidence. They are also seeking more foreign men they believe are involved in what could be the largest child sex network ever uncovered in Cambodia.
Three Vietnamese adults have also been charged in connection with the case. Cheng Thit Heu, 45, is accused of providing her two children, one aged just 10, for sex. Her sister, Cheng Thit You, 21, and her husband, Nguyen Hong Voeng, 20, have been charged with human trafficking after police alleged they pimped the children.
Cambodian police acted on a tip-off from neighbours who became suspicious of the large number of young girls visiting Henning's home, located on a bustling suburban street of the capital. Harrowing evidence allegedly taken from the home includes a range of sexual and bondage paraphernalia, illegal in Cambodia, mixed with children's toys.
Kidess said it was too early to comment on whether the German police might be investigating possible links to Germany.
"It is a very open possibility. There might be. There might not," he said.
Police said Friday that the investigation was ongoing. Debauchery carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail in Cambodia.
No comments:
Post a Comment