German gets one-year jail in Cambodia for child abuse

Phnom Penh, March 11: A Cambodian court on Friday convicted a German expatriate for sexually abusing five underage boys and sentenced him to one year in prison, according to a verdict.

"The (Phnom Penh Municipal) court found Udo Sabiniewicz, 56, guilty of conducting indecent acts against minors and sentenced him to one year in prison," Xinhua cited the verdict as saying, which also ordered him to pay $1,000 to each of two plaintiffs.

Sabiniewicz was arrested at his animation video dubbing studio in Phnom Penh in June last year and subsequently charged on multiple counts of indecent acts against minors.

Cambodia launched an anti-paedophile operation in 2003 in a bid to end its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders. Since then, dozens of foreigners have been imprisoned for child sex crimes.

IANS