Jealous Wife Sentenced To Life In Prison For Killing A Female Security Guard In An Acid Attack

A Cambodian court on Monday sentenced a garment factory worker to life in prison for killing another woman in an acid attack motivated by jealous rage over an alleged love affair. Sroeun Nann was arrested in March after splashing the acid on Meas Vanny, a female security guard. Meas Vanny, 20, suffered severe burns to her face and body in the attack and died two weeks later at a hospital. During her trial, Sroeun Nann, 40, confessed to the attack because she was “angry that the woman had a love affair with her husband.”

Nou Veasna, presiding judge at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, jailed Sroeun Nann for life for “intentional killing with acid”. Acid attacks are a common form of revenge in Cambodia where corrosive liquid is easily and cheaply available and attackers are rarely brought to justice. In June, a 25-year-old woman was arrested in capital Phnom Penh for allegedly splashing acid on her 17-year-old sister after discovering that the victim and her husband had been having an affair.

The government has regulated sales of acid and courts impose harsh sentences on perpetrators of attacks. Legislation passed in 2012 allowed judges to jail acid attackers for between 20 years and life. The Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC) has recorded a total of 420 acid burn incidents in Cambodia dating back to 1964.