PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Thursday charged a British man, who allegedly sexually abused a five-year-old female pupil, with sexual assaults, according to a court spokesman.
Mark Andrew Smith, 39, the father of two, was arrested on Friday last week when he left the Golden Bridge International School in Phnom Penh, where he served as the school's deputy principal.
He is accused of sexually abusing the little girl at his home.
"After launching an investigation, the court's deputy prosecutor, Seang Sok decided to charge Mark Andrew Smith with sexual assaults under the article 246 and 248 of the Criminal Code and sent him to the investigating judge for next legal procedure," Phnom Penh Municipal Court's spokesman Ly Sophana told reporters.
Under the charges, the man can face an imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of 2,500 U.S. dollars if convicted.
Cambodia launched an anti-pedophile 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.
