A British man jailed over the fatal shooting of a Serbian man during an argument in Phnom Penh

     

                                              

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea    

A British man was charged and detained by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 19, 2023 over the fatal shooting of a Serbian man during an argument in Chamkar Mon in December.

The murder took place at about 11:45am on December 24 at a hotel in the district’s Tonle Bassac commune.

A court document identified the accused as Joseph Swartz alias Alex, 28, a British online musician.  

The victim was identified as Dackovi Strahijai, 37, a tourist.  

Swartz was charged with “murder and unauthorised holding a weapon” under Articles 199 and 490 of the Criminal Code. 

If convicted, he faces a jail term of between 10 and 15 years.

Lieutenant Colonel Veng Sarith, Municipal Penal Police Department, deputy chief said yesterday that at about midnight on December 24, a report was received that a foreign man had been shot to death by an unknown suspect at a hotel in Tonle Bassac commune.

He said penal police officers later questioned a Cambodian woman Phan Sophath, 44, who was the victim’s girlfriend.

He said that the woman suspected Swartz and showed a photo to the police.

Lt Col Sarith said the municipal penal police cooperated with the penal police department in the Ministry of Interior to search for the suspect but could not trace him because he kept moving residence.

He said that on Thursday police arrested Swartz after receiving information that was in a restaurant in Phsar Doeum Thkov commune, Chamkar Mon district.


He added that after his arrest, police seized a pistol (gun), seven bullets, a small package of crystal meth and personal belongings from him. 

“During police interrogation, the accused confessed that he had killed the victim by firing three shots before fleeing the scene,” Lt. Col. Sarith said.

“He confessed that he killed the victim because he was angry with him for always threatening to kill him whenever he became drunk and both of them had several arguments previously. 

He added that the accused now had been sent by the investigative judge to temporary detention at the Correctional Center I (CC1) pending trial. END

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laotian gets life for drug trafficking

Image
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has sentenced a Laotian drug trafficker to life imprisonment after the 42-year-old was convicted of trafficking about 7 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Presiding Judge Sin Sovannroath said Houa Choua was from Champasak province’s Moeung Khong district, Laos.     “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to sentence the accused Houa Choua to a life sentence and a fine of 100 million riels,” Judge Sovannroath said in his judgment yesterday.   He said that the accused was charged with “drug possessing, transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of Cambodian Law on Drugs Control and with “money Laundering” under Articles 38 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing.   Judge Sovannroath stated that Houa Choua was arrested by police at a guesthouse in Por Senchey district’s Kakab commune on October 16, 2022, night.  Houa Choua was detained after he had transported the drugs by car from the Cambodia-Lao border in
Read more

Sorn Elit, the Tallest Cambodian Taekwando Champion

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA There are 18 Taekwondo fighters on the national team, according to Hem Samnang, Secretary General of the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation (CTF). He was speaking to The Southeast Asia Weekly on July 22. The Secretary General said that Sorn Elit, 22, is currently the best Taekwondo fighter in Cambodia. He has attended many competitions both at home and abroad and has achieved success in both fields. In 2008, he won the national heavyweight title in the Taekwondo championships. “I am very proud of Sorn Elit as he is the best fighter in Cambodia,” Samnang said. “I believe that he will continue to bring honor to the country, the sport and himself as he competes in still more competitions at home and in the international fighting arena. He is completely committed to his training schedule and is a credit to the sport.” The Secretary General said that to improve Elit’s skills, the CTF sent him to get Taekwondo training in South Korea over two weeks in 2007. The CTF plans
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i
Read more