Court Upholds Briton’s Child Sex Crime Conviction

Siem Reap: According to media reports, on the morning of May 4, a British man lost his appeal over his sentence for sexually an underage girl. The Supreme Court announced that the original sentence of two and a half years in prison was upheld.

MATTHEW WILLIAM WATKIN, male, 39 years old, a former teacher was convicted of abusing a 13-year-old girl who was also a student of the accused. He was arrested in Siem Reap Province on April 20, 2020, on suspicion of touching the victim in a sexual manner. 

On June 4, 2021, the Siem Reap Provincial Primary Court sentenced the defendant to two and a half years in prison and a fine of 4 million riel (about $1,000). However, the defendant refused to accept and continued to appeal to the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal. However, the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal upheld the original verdict. 

The defendant then appealed to the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the original judgment.

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