A Kampong Cham woman has been charged after she allegedly murdered her sleeping husband with acid last week.
The suspect, Pin Chea, 44, allegedly confessed to purchasing an unknown type and quantity of acid in Phnom Penh and pouring it on her husband’s face and chest in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
“She was charged with intentional violence resulting in the death of the victim according to Article 224 of the Criminal Code,” said Kampong Cham spokesperson Chum Naran.
The charge carries a jail term of between seven and 15 years “if, without intent to kill, they cause the death of the victim”.
Investigating Judge Sor Sota sent Chea to pre-trial detention on Saturday, Naran said, but no charges were laid under the 2012 Acid Law.
The law established harsher penalties for perpetrators and put restrictions on the sale of certain chemicals.
As of Sunday, police were still unable to name the type of fatal substance or say where it was purchased.
More needs to be done to prevent would-be attackers from acquiring the dangerous substances, said Gender and Development for Cambodia Executive Director Ros Sopheap. “This is really important because the acid is everywhere, so we need to restrict it . . . It is indirect but dangerous,” she said.
“We don’t see this as a weapon, but this can be used to kill people.”
