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Russian pedophile gets 13 years in Cambodia prison

A Russian businessman accused of sexually assaulting at least 19 Cambodian girls was jailed yesterday for 13 years after being convicted in the first of several cases against him.

Alexander Trofimov was arrested last October after six girls and their parents filed complaints with the police accusing the 41-year-old investor of abusing them.

Since then, 13 more girls have filed complaints against Trofimov, making him the focus of Cambodia's largest-ever pedophilia investigation. The girls are aged between 11 and 18.

Trofimov has been charged with debauchery, a criminal charge covering a wide range of sex offenses that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The first of several expected trials against Trofimov opened on Tuesday with a 14-year-old girl testifying that he forced her to have unprotected sex with him four times.

He rejected her claims, telling the court that he did not know her. But Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Ke Sakhan said yesterday that enough evidence existed to prove his guilt.

"The crime affects social order, the health and the dignity of innocent people and Cambodia," Ke Sakhan said while announcing the sentence.

A Cambodian, Phal Vannara, was also convicted yesterday and sentenced to 11 years in prison for procuring the 14-year-old girl for Trofimov.

Trofimov and Phal Vannara were ordered to pay a total of US$100,000 to the victim.

Trofimov's lawyer Ouch Sophal said that he would appeal the sentence.

Trofimov is chairman of Koh Pos Investment Co, which in 2006 received permission to build a US$300 million resort in Cambodia's Koh Pos or Snake Island.
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