The 63-year-old Swede Johan Brahim Escori, convicted for sexually assaulting three boys in Cambodia, Johan Brahim Escori will serve his 6.5 year sentence after a Cambodian court confirmed his conviction.
The Swede was convicted and sentenced by the court in Phnomh Penh for having abused the three boys, including his own adopted son.
Johan Brahim Escori claimed in an interview with the Svenska Dagbladet daily this week that he expected to be freed by the court after having paid out $11,000 in bribes.
The newspaper reported that its article was presented in the court hearing at which the man retracted his claims.
“The judge wondered about the circumstances and statements from the accused, but he denied it today. But it was something which the court paid attention to,” said Annethe Ahlenius, the Swedish police officer following the proceedings, to the newspaper.
Johan Brahim Escori has been in custody since he was arrested in May last year after police and social services had been tracking him for three years.
During his time in custody the man has had daily contact with his son, who had previously testified against his father regarding sustained abuse, but changed his story at Friday’s hearing.
But the court found the boy’s amended stable to be unreliable and confirmed the conviction and sentence served in January against his adoptive father.
The 63-year-old retains the right to appeal the judgement, which ends Swedish police involvement in the issue.
“If the man has been convicted in Cambodia then we can not do anything. You can’t try someone for the same offence in two different countries,” said Lisbeth Tolfes, detective inspector at National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalen) to news agency TT.
The 63-year-old has been previously convicted for sexual offences against children in Sweden.
