Kiwi could die in Cambodian jail

Supporters of a former Wellington man jailed for rape in Cambodia fear he will die behind bars, as hopes of a fresh appeal fade.

Graham Cleghorn has just spent his ninth New Year in a Cambodian prison – and now faces the prospect of an extra 10 years being added to his sentence because he is unable to pay reparations to his accusers.

He was sentenced to 20 years in 2004 for raping five of his employees, aged 14 to 19, in Siem Reap, about 300 kilometres northwest of Phnom Penh.

The former Angkor temple tour guide maintains he was framed by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre. Cleghorn, in his early 60s, says it fabricated the charges to get foreign aid money.

The group and the complainants vehemently deny his claims.

Two years ago, the Cambodian Court of Appeal threw out Cleghorn's second appeal.

A spokeswoman at the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the New Zealand embassy in Bangkok continued to monitor Mr Cleghorn's case and his wellbeing, and was in regular contact with his daughter in Australia.

Cleghorn was last visited by consular staff from the British embassy in Phnom Penh on December 9, the spokeswoman said. "We understand he has lodged a final Supreme Court Appeal."

However, his New Zealand lawyer, Greg King, said the appeal was "a pretty bleak prospect".

It had become bogged down in red tape and demands for tens of thousands of dollars in advance from lawyers. "It's just languishing"

Cleghorn's health was deteriorating, Mr King said. It was also possible that 10 years could be added to his sentence, as he was unable to pay reparations to his five accusers. "They could add two years on for each one."

Based on the evidence, Cleghorn would never have been convicted in a New Zealand court, Mr King said. "Yet he's still stuck in jail over there."

Supporter Brian Robinson said he had not heard from Cleghorn for months. "You can only imagine what he must be going through, what the conditions must be like. The rest of his sentence is probably longer than he is going to live."

Mr Robinson, who runs a website supporting Cleghorn, said he believed the Kiwi was the victim of a corrupt system. "In a country that's desperately poor, you get decisions that are based on bribery."

- © Fairfax NZ News