Cambodian court gives German man 15 years in jail for child sex abuse

Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A Cambodian court sentenced a German man to 15 years in prison Thursday after finding him guilty of sexually abusing a girl.

Judge Sao Meach said he convicted Walter Munz, 62, of Stuttgart of debauchery for sexual offenses committed against a 13-year-old girl last year. Debauchery is a Cambodian legal term covering sexual abuse of children.

The judge said there was sufficient evidence to convict Munz despite the defendant's denial of the charges during his trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

The evidence included many photographs of other children Munz had taken and planned to distribute on the Internet, he said.

Cambodian police arrested Munz in April last year in a raid on his guesthouse room in the capital Phnom Penh.

They had kept him under surveillance for several days after receiving a tip-off from child rights activists about his suspicious conduct with children.

Police found him in the room with a 13-year-old girl, who alleged Munz forced her to have sex with him several times.

The court plans to announce on Friday its verdict in a case involving Alexander Trofimov, a Russian businessman accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested in October on allegations he had sexually abused as many as 19 girls since 2005.

German gets 15 years for Cambodia child sex abuse

Thu Mar 13, 2008

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A Cambodian court sentenced a German man to 15 years in jail on Thursday for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, the latest foreigner to be caught in the southeast Asian nation's drive to stop child sex tourism.

Walter Munz, 61 and from Stuttgart, was arrested last year in a Phnom Penh guest house and accused of sharing a bed with the street girl and sexually abusing her four times.

The white-haired Munz, who appeared before the court in prison overalls, denied the charge and said he had been giving her $60 a month for school fees and food.

"I did nothing wrong. I will the appeal the case," he said as he was led away in handcuffs.

Poverty-stricken Cambodia has long had a reputation as a haven for paedophiles and perverts, due in large part to its corrupt police force and courts. Child rights groups are campaigning hard for Phnom Penh to take the problem seriously.

Cambodia, a 'haven' for sex offenders

March 13 2008
AFP

Phnom Penh - A German man has been jailed in Cambodia for 15 years after being convicted of sexually abusing a girl while visiting the capital Phnom Penh, court officials said on Thursday.

Walter Munz, of Stuttgart, was arrested last year when police raided the guesthouse he was staying at and found him in his room with the 13-year-old victim, judge Sao Meach said.

Munz, 61, repeatedly assaulted the girl and was charged with debauchery, a criminal charge covering a wide range of sex offences, Sao Meach said.

"I sentenced him to 15 years in jail for committing debauchery against the girl," Sao Meach said, adding that Munz was also ordered to pay a $7 000 fine to the victim.

Munz denied the charges during his trial, but the judge said doctors had confirmed that the girl was sexually abused.

Samleang Seila, director of the French child welfare group Action Pour Les Enfants, welcomed the court's decision.

"The punishment is a good message for those foreigners who wish to abuse children in Cambodia," he said.

Dozens of foreigners have been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries since Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia push in 2003 in a bid to shake off its reputation as a haven for sex predators.

A Russian businessman accused of sexually abusing at least 19 Cambodian girls went on trial earlier this week in the country's largest-ever paedophilia prosecution.

While lauding the government's efforts to fight child sex crimes, officials, including foreign diplomats, have urged authorities to also target Cambodian paedophiles, who are thought to make up more than half of all sex offenders.

German man charged with sexually abusing Cambodian girl

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A German man was charged Tuesday with sexually abusing a 13-year-old Cambodian girl and faces up to 20 years in prison, a court official said.

Walter Munz, a 62-year-old a tourist from Stuttgart, was formally charged with debauchery, said Sok Roeun, a prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Debauchery is a broad Cambodian legal term for sex offenses involving minors and is punishable by 10 to 20 years in jail.

Munz was arrested Sunday when police raided the room he had rented at a guesthouse in Phnom Penh and found him with the underage girl, police said.

Munz had been under police surveillance for several days after authorities received a tip from child rights activists, said Keo Thea, deputy chief of the anti-human-trafficking police.

He said Munz had met the girl recently and convinced her mother that he would help her study English and help the family with daily expenses.

The girl told police that Munz forced her to have sex several times but she had been afraid to tell her mother about the abuse, Keo Thea said.

Last month, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced two German men to 12 and 28 years in prison for sexually abusing four ethnic Vietnamese girls between the ages of 10 and 14.

Child rights advocates say Cambodia's lax law enforcement has made it a destination for foreign pedophiles despite recent police efforts to step up action against offenders.

German national arrested for alleged sexual abuse of young Cambodian girl

Monday, April 9, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A German man has been arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old Cambodian girl, police said Monday.

Walter Munz, a 62-year-old tourist from Stuttgart, was nabbed during a raid of his guesthouse room in Phnom Penh on Sunday, said Keo Thea, deputy chief of anti-human-trafficking police.

Police found Munz with an underaged girl in the room and arrested him on charge of debauchery — a broad Cambodian legal term for a sex offense involving minors that is punishable by 10 to 20 years in jail.

Tipped off by activists, Munz had been under police surveillance for many days before the arrest, Keo Thea said.

"He met the girl some days ago and convinced her mother that he would help the girl study English and the family with daily expenses," the police officer said.

The girl told police that Munz forced her to have sex with him several times but she was afraid to tell her mother about the abuse, Keo Thea said.

It remained unclear when Munz would be sent to court to face formal charges. Under Cambodian law, a suspect can be detained by police for up to 72 hours before appearing in court.

Last month, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced two German men to a total of 40 years in prison for sexually abusing ethnic Vietnamese girls aged 10 to 14 years.

Child rights advocates say Cambodia's lax law enforcement has made it a destination for foreign pedophiles. However, police have recently stepped up action against offenders.