Man Rapes And Kills 10yo Girl And Murders 2yo Brother

Story BySimon GloverSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyAsia Wire Report

This man has been arrested for raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl and also killing her two-year-old brother after he heard her screams.

Police arrested Meang Vichet, 26, after 10-year-old Pha Srey Leak and her two-year-old brother Pha Sok Ly were found in pools of their own blood by their father at their home in the Bit Traing commune of the Prey Nob district of south-western Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Province.

The girl was still alive and was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors were unable to save her. Her little brother died at the scene of the brutal attack.

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Police say Vichet ran away with his wife to his home village, in the Me Sang district of Prey Veng Province, in the south-east of the country, after the attack.

But cops tracked them down and arrested the couple after a brief siege in which Vichet climbed onto the roof of a building in a bid to escape.

Police had intended to take him back to the scene of the crime as part of their investigation but abandoned the plan for fear he would be killed by angry villagers.

An estimated 500 to 600 residents had gathered outside the victims’ family home and had threatened to stone the suspect to death should he appear.

Vichet reportedly admitted carrying out the attacks after “going berserk” on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol he had bought at a beach. 

Police also arrested his wife, Sam Soriya, 26, who is accused of helping him to cover up the crime and escape.

Experienced police officers from Cambodia’s Child Protection Unit described the level of violence as “imcomprehensible” and said it was among the most brutal attacks they had ever been called upon to investigate.

“The brutality of this furious attack is beyond words and has shocked some of the most seasoned homicide investigators,” a spokesman said.

Major General Chuon Narin, chief of police in Sihanoukville Province, said Vichet had confessed to the murder and rape of the girl, as well as killing her little brother, while high on drugs and alcohol he had bought at a beach in the area.

A police report said the suspect spotted the girl playing with her little brother outside their home and allegedly led her inside by the hand, telling the boy to wait outside.

But the toddler heard the girl scream and went inside to check on her. Police say Vichet slapped him several times before kicking him in the neck, making his head hit a wall.

The children’s family had arrived in the area only five days earlier for work. The father had normally taken the children to work with him but had tragically left them at home alone on the day of the attack because it was raining heavily.

After the attack, Vichet reportedly told his wife what had happened and persuaded her to run away with him to his home town where they were arrested.

Major General Narin said Vichet would appear before court charged with the murder of both children and the rape of the girl. His wife faces a charge of helping him conceal the crime.