Cambodian court sentences Austrian man to 10 years in jail for sexually abusing boys

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: An Austrian man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in jail for sexually abusing two Cambodian boys, a judge said.

Olaf Achleitner, 64, was also ordered to pay 4 million riel (US$1,000; €650) in compensation to each of the boys following his conviction on charges of committing indecent acts against minors, said Ke Sakhan, a Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge.

The judge said the Austrian sexually abused the boys, aged 12 and 15, in two separate incidents in September.

The defendant's Cambodian lawyer, Dun Vibol, called the verdict unjust. He said the verdict was based merely on the boys' testimonies to the police with the prosecution offering no evidence to back up their claims.

He said Achleitner has consistently maintained his innocence.

"He was never caught in the act of doing what he has been accused of. Police just took him into their office for questioning after receiving complaints from the boys. There he was arrested, detained and sent to the court," Dun Vibol said.

It was not clear if Achleitner will appeal the verdict, the lawyer said.

The name of Achleitner's home town in Austria was not immediately available.