Original report from Phnom Penh
18 September 2008
An American man arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl he had unofficially adopted from her parents will appear before prosecutors Friday for questioning, a court official and police said.
Jason Baumbach, 40, was arrested by anti-trafficking police at a rented house in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district on Tuesday. He was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday, but he was not questioned due to time constraints.
"I have not yet questioned him, because he was sent in the evening," said Deputy Prosecutor Sok Kalyan. "I will question him tomorrow."
Brig. Gen. Bith Kimhong, director of the Ministry of Interior's anti-trafficking and juvenile protection department, said Thursday Baumbach had confessed to "touching the body" of the girl and "kissing her" but had denied sexual relations with her.
Teng Manet, lawyer for the girl from the anti-trafficking group Action Pour Les Enfants, said the suspect had had sexual relations with the girls "many times" since 2007.
He had known the girl since last year, through her older sister, and had asked the girl's parents to be an adoptive father, Teng Manet said. He had paid the girl $100 per month to study English.
"Because her parents trusted that man, they allowed her to visit his house," Teng Manet said. "She frequently visited his house."
US Embassy spokesman John Johnson declined to comment specifically on the case but said the US "helps to aggressively enforce…a US law that makes it illegal for Americans to travel abroad to engage in illicit sexual contact with minors."
The first three successful prosecutions under the US law, called the PROTECT Act, have involved cases from Cambodia, Johnson said.
Jason Baumbach, 40, was arrested by anti-trafficking police at a rented house in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district on Tuesday. He was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday, but he was not questioned due to time constraints.
"I have not yet questioned him, because he was sent in the evening," said Deputy Prosecutor Sok Kalyan. "I will question him tomorrow."
Brig. Gen. Bith Kimhong, director of the Ministry of Interior's anti-trafficking and juvenile protection department, said Thursday Baumbach had confessed to "touching the body" of the girl and "kissing her" but had denied sexual relations with her.
Teng Manet, lawyer for the girl from the anti-trafficking group Action Pour Les Enfants, said the suspect had had sexual relations with the girls "many times" since 2007.
He had known the girl since last year, through her older sister, and had asked the girl's parents to be an adoptive father, Teng Manet said. He had paid the girl $100 per month to study English.
"Because her parents trusted that man, they allowed her to visit his house," Teng Manet said. "She frequently visited his house."
US Embassy spokesman John Johnson declined to comment specifically on the case but said the US "helps to aggressively enforce…a US law that makes it illegal for Americans to travel abroad to engage in illicit sexual contact with minors."
The first three successful prosecutions under the US law, called the PROTECT Act, have involved cases from Cambodia, Johnson said.
5 comments:
Get all the facts, if the case is found to be guilty, the man shall face the charge and serve his time behind bar. It's up to US whether they want to extradite the man to facing charge in USA, which in the the past has happended to other pedoephilia.
4:36,
That's why the FBI set up their field office in Phnom Penh, it's particularly for this reasons.
Jason Baumbach is the best friend of Phnom Penh Post reporter Tracey Shelton. He's also good buddies with the Pocket Guide's Dean Lennox.
The PP Post haven't reported Baumbach's arrest.
Co-incidence or something elese?
If she was over 15yrs and he didn't pay money for the sex act, then he has not broken Cambodia law nor can US prosecute him under the Protect act in my opinion.
9:39PM under 18 is still a minor! and even without paying money is still statutory rape!
Whatch out you may be next!
Post a Comment