A Cambodian appeals court has upheld the conviction of four former Khmer Rouge rebels for the kidnap and murder of a British mine-clearing expert
12 April 2012
A Cambodian appeals court has upheld the conviction of four former Khmer Rouge rebels for the kidnap-murder of a British mine-clearing expert and a colleague 15 years ago.
Prosecutor Pan Kim Leang says the court in the capital Phnom Penh upheld 20-year prison sentences for three of the men for premeditated murder and illegal confinement.
It also upheld a 10-year sentence for the fourth man for involvement in the early stages of the abductions.
Christopher Howes and Cambodian co-worker Houn Hourth were abducted by Khmer Rouge rebels in March 1996 while clearing mines near Angkor Wat, the 12th century temple complex in north-western Cambodia.
The original trial heard that Mr Howes, from Backwell in north Somerset, was shot dead by his captors.
