AFP,  PHNOM PENH:  Cambodia on yesterday sentenced an American man to a decade in jail for sexually abusing girls as young as five, the latest effort to punish foreign paedophiles in the impoverished country.
Brian Naswall, the 53-year-old CEO of Aero Cambodia, a small aviation firm based in Phnom Penh, was arrested last year, reportedly in the act of abusing three underage girls. Since he was detained, a total of nine victims have accused Naswall of abuse.
Naswall denied the charges during his trial and claimed the case was fabricated.
But Phnom Penh’s Municipal court on Tuesday found the American guilty of engaging in child prostitution and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
The court also ordered Naswall to pay $16,000 in compensation, which will be split among eight victims.
The director of Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), an NGO that hunts down suspected foreign paedophiles in Cambodia, called for Naswall to be deported after he serves his sentence.
“We applaud the ruling. It is reasonable and acceptable,” APLE director Seila Samleang said.