A British man in Cambodia who was accused of rape has been cleared thanks to ‘overwhelming’ evidence found in CCTV footage.
The CCTV recording showed that his alleged victim – a 22-year-old backpacker – had in fact fallen on the way back to the bar, resulting in injuries to her wrist and back.
Nick Laycock, 25, spent two days in a prison cell after he was arrested at a guest house where he works – but prosecutors have now decided not to press charges.
It had been alleged that he raped a 22-year-old backpacker who he went for a walk with by a nearby river because she returned to her friends with wrist and back injuries after having sex with him.
Going on the statements of her two companions, who said they ‘believed’ the girl had been sexually assaulted, Nick, from Berkshire, was detained by police on Sunday.
However, guesthouse owner Joel Miles carried out his own investigations on his CCTV recordings – and saw that the pair had consensual sex but that the girl had fallen over on her way back to the bar, resulting in her injuries.
When Nick showed up at court in Kampot yesterday he was told by prosecutors that they would not be pressing charges after they had studied the CCTV footage.
He is said to be ‘greatly relieved’ by the outcome and when he arrived back at the Arcadia guesthouse tourists and colleagues congratulated him.
According to the Mail Online, Nick said: ‘It was a traumatic experience.
‘I didn’t know what was going to happen to me.
‘A small misunderstanding and it resulted in me going to jail. Two days was bad enough.’
He is also said to be ‘furious’ with the British Embassy, who apparently offered no consular assistance.
A rape sentence in Cambodia can be up to 20 years.
Metro
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