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Graham Cleghorn….victim
of injustice in |
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A Cambodian court on Thursday
opened hearings on an Australian man who is appealing his 20-year sentence
for having sex with young girls. Bart Lauwaert appealed the
sentence handed down in 2003 by Siem Reap's provincial court, which convicted
him of having sex with girls aged 11 to 14. It was not clear how many girls
he allegedly abused. Lauwaert and his Cambodian lawyer
Dy Borima declined to comment when they arrived at the Court security officials barred
journalists from entering the courtroom to cover the proceedings, but no
reason was given. Several of Lauwaert's alleged victims were to appear at the
hearing. Lauwaert was 36 when he was
convicted. Also convicted at the same 2003 hearing
was Lauwaert's friend Clinton Rex Betteridge, who was sentenced in absentia
by the Siem Reap court to 10 years imprisonment for having sex with underage
girls. Betteridge, who had been released
on bail, fled Cambodian authorities confiscated
his original passport when they released him on bail about a month before the
trial in January 2003.
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