January 29, 2010

60-year-old previously convicted American Michael James Dodd, was found guilty and convicted to an additional 3-year term in jail for another charge, involving soliciting sex from a 16-year-old girl.

 

Michael James Dodd was arrested October 2008 and subsequently charged with purchasing child prostitution from two girls; one of which was a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl, wherefore Dodd was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison and ordered to pay 20 million riel compensation which is equivalent to appx. $4,824.

 

The new case, for which he was sentenced to an additional 3 years in prison, involved a 16-year-old Cambodian girl. In this case, the court convicted Dodd on the charge of Purchase of Child Prostitution in line with the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Aside from the prison term, the court also ordered him banned from the country, after serving out his  sentence. However, there was no order for compensation to the victim.

 

Mr. Samleang Seila, the country director for anti-pedophile NGO Action Pour Les Enfants, said after the verdict, that it was unjust, that Dodd was not ordered to pay compensation to the girl, adding that the court should grant compensation for her as she comes from a poor family and the girl originally also asked for $5,000 compensation.