Ex-Lieutenant General jailed for assault his ex-step-wife

 

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

A former three-star-general was sentenced by the  Phnom Penh Municipal Court to four years in prison for assaulting his ex-wife.

Leng Bunsri, 57, who was a lieutenant general with the Ministry of National Defense, was also found guilty of confining his ex-wife and three children inside his house in September last year.

The court ordered Bunsri to pay 60 million riels ($15,000) in damages to his former wife, Sim Lany, 44.

Presiding Judge Nhim Pisal said Bunsri was charged on three counts with “detention and unlawful confinement, violence committed by spouse or partner, unauthorized holding weapon” under Articles 253, 222 and 490 of the Criminal Code.

He said Bunsri was arrested on September 8 last year by the military police following a report filed by Lany.  

During his hearing on July 28, Bunsri denied the charges, saying he had not beaten or threatened to kill Lany as alleged.

When questioned about the injuries on Lany’s head and back, Bunsri said she had knocked into the house door.

 “I did not beat her. She ran into the house door and injured herself,” Bunsri told the court.

When asked about the pistol seized from his car, Bunsri said that it wdid not belong to him.

“I do not have a gun and have never carried a gun. Lany took it from somewhere to put on my car to accuse me,” he said.

On the charge of confining Lany and her children in the house, Bunsri said he had locked the house door from outside because he did not know that they were inside the house.

“I had loudly shouted many times but none answered,” he said.

Lany said she has three children with her husband before he died.

She said she met Bunsri in 2012, who was then a military officer, and they lived together as husband and wife in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district.

“We lived together from 2012 until 2021 and we do not have any children of our own. My time with Bunsri was not a happy one as he was always violent with me and hurt me emotionally.

 “We separated in 2019 but in 2020 we got back together after Bunsri promised me that he would not use violence on me again.

“We had a dispute in July 2021 over the proceeds from the sale of our houses and lands in Kampong Speu and Siem Reap province .

“I did not agree with Bunsri’s demand and he became angry with me again,” she told the court.

She said that on September 5, 2021, Bunsri changed the house lock and locked her and her three children in the house.

She said she managed to climb out of the house the next day and sought police help.

“But Bunsri did not unlock the house door after the police officer had contacted him by phone,” she said.

She said she then sought help from Phnom Penh Military Police.

“At about 2 pm on September 7, Bunsri returned home and unlocked the house but after he had unlocked the house door, he started beating me and pushed me around and I hit the house door, causing me serious injuries,” Lany told the court.

“He also pulled out a pistol from his waist and threatened to kill me,” she said.