Cambodia sentences Briton for 'porn' dance pics
published : 20 Mar 2018 at 14:45
writer: Gary Boyle
PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian court on Tuesday suspended 10 months of a one-year jail term it handed to a British man found guilty of producing pornography in connection with a party in the town of Siem Reap, home to the ruins of Angkor Wat.
Daniel Jones, who was tried on Thursday in the Siem Reap provincial court, was among 10 foreigners the police detained in a Jan 25 raid on the event, called "Pub Crawl or Let's Get Wet".
He could be freed Wednesday after serving one month and 22 days in prison, with the rest of his sentence term suspended, said the Siem Reap provincial court spokesman. He said Jones may stay in custody if the prosecutor files an appeal within one day.
Authorities said the group danced provocatively at a pool party and posted pictures of themselves dancing on social media.
Judge Um Chan Thol ordered Jones to serve just one month and 22 days of his one-year sentence, calling his act of producing pornography "unintentional".
"The accused said he unintentionally produced pornography that affects Khmer culture," the judge said while reading his verdict, referring to Cambodia.
Jones had denied producing pornography.
"There was no evidence against my client," said his lawyer. "As a lawyer, I am not happy with this decision."
The court had dropped charges against the other nine foreigners and deported them.
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Vocabulary
- appeal (noun): a request that a decision be changed - การอุทธรณ์
- custody: the state of being in prison or under police control, especially while waiting for trial - การกักขัง, การคุมขัง
- deport: to send someone out of a country -
- detain: to keep someone in a police station or prison and not allow them to leave - กักตัว ควบคุมตัวหรือฝากขัง
- evidence: facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime - หลักฐาน
- pornography: books, magazines, DVDs, etc. that describe or show naked people and sexual acts in order to make people feel sexually excited, especially in a way that many other people find offensive - หนังสือ ภาพ เรื่องเขียน หนังและศิลปะที่ลามก
- provocative (adj): intended to make people excited or to pay attention - ซึ่งแหย่,ซึ่งปลุกปั่น
- suspend a sentence: a situation when the court decides that the person who has been proven guilty of a crime does not have to undergo the punishment given, usually under certain conditions - รอลงอาญา
- unintentional: not done deliberately, but happening by accident - โดยไม่เจตนา