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July 29th, 2017 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : A week after his arrest the 39-year-old Mark Andrew Smith, a UK citizen and Deputy Principal of Phnom Penh International School, was charged with indecent assault. Smith was arrested on charges of having sexually abused a 5-year-old.
Andrews as formally charged and sent to Prey Sar prison on Friday. He will be held there in pre-trial detention. The 39-year-old Deputy Principal of Phnom Penh International School was charged with indecent assault with aggravating circumstances after an hour-long police interrogation before he was sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigative Judge Y Thavrak, said Court spokesman Sous Vichearandy. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Vichearandy said Smith was sent to the Prey Par prison Friday afternoon.
Mark Andrew Smith was arrested on July 21 as he was leaving Phnom Penh’s Golden Bridge International School. The arrest was made two days after a Cambodian Facebook user, known as Viriya MC, livestreamed a video describing how Andrew Smith allegedly abused the 5-year-old student in his home.
On Friday, Sem Malis, the girlfriend of Mark Andrew Smith, repeated a statement she made on Thursday; that is, that Smith – a father of two – was innocent. Sem Malis also questioned whether the court had enough evidence to charge him. She also complained that police had told her they could find nothing to support his guilt on the school’s surveillance cameras. Malis described the affair as unfair.
A live streamed witness testimony – possibly even hearsay – would indeed be insufficient for the pre-trial detention. On the other hand, the fact that police, allegedly, told Malis they could not find evidence to support Smith’s guilt on school surveillance does not exclude the possibility that Smith abused the 5-year-old at his home.
The Golden Bride International School, on Tuesday, following the initial arrest, posted a statement on Facebook. The school noted that it was aware of the allegations of sexual abuse against a foreign teacher and was cooperating with authorities. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of 10 million riel, or about $2,500. No trial date was immediately scheduled.
F/AK – nsnbc 29.07.2017
Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/07/29/uk-teacher-imprisoned-in-cambodian-child-sex-abuse-case/
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