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Cambodian PM's nephew cleared
Nim Sophea, right, the nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, is escorted to court from a Phnom Penh police station, Nov. 25, 2003
Nim Sophea says he tried to stop the shooting
A nephew of the Cambodian leader Hun Sen has been cleared on appeal of involvement in a fatal shooting.
A Cambodian newspaper said that Nim Sophea, 23, was acquitted in August, having served 10 months of a three-year sentence for manslaughter.
He was arrested in October 2003, accused of shooting dead at least two people in a Phnom Penh street.
His lawyer said the rifle had fired accidentally when Nim Sophea tried to grab it from another man.
"We found out that he's not the culprit," presiding Judge Thou Mony told the English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily.
The judge said the court had found that another man, Sam Douen - who was sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment for the killings - was fully responsible.
The shooting incident is alleged to have taken place after a road accident in Phnom Penh.
According to police, Hun Sen's nephew then fired an automatic rifle at passers-by. The authorities believed he was angry or drunk.
Nim Sophea, right, the nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, is escorted to court from a Phnom Penh police station, Nov. 25, 2003
Nim Sophea says he tried to stop the shooting
A nephew of the Cambodian leader Hun Sen has been cleared on appeal of involvement in a fatal shooting.
A Cambodian newspaper said that Nim Sophea, 23, was acquitted in August, having served 10 months of a three-year sentence for manslaughter.
He was arrested in October 2003, accused of shooting dead at least two people in a Phnom Penh street.
His lawyer said the rifle had fired accidentally when Nim Sophea tried to grab it from another man.
"We found out that he's not the culprit," presiding Judge Thou Mony told the English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily.
The judge said the court had found that another man, Sam Douen - who was sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment for the killings - was fully responsible.
The shooting incident is alleged to have taken place after a road accident in Phnom Penh.
According to police, Hun Sen's nephew then fired an automatic rifle at passers-by. The authorities believed he was angry or drunk.
