Kiwi in Cambodia 'won't die in jail'

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A Cambodian prison official says a former Wellington man jailed for rape will not die behind bars, despite fears for his health from his supporters.

Prey Sar prison director Mong Kim Heng told the Phnom Penh Post that Graham Cleghorn "is strong and healthy, and I see him almost every day in prison, he can run better than you".

Cleghorn, 57, is serving a 20-year term in the Phnom Penh jail, for raping five of his employees - aged between 14 and 19 - in Siem Reap, about 300km northwest of Phnom Penh.

Cleghorn, a former temple tourist guide, faces the prospect of an extra 10 years being added to his sentence because he is unable to pay reparations to his victims.

He was jailed for 20 years in 2004 and the judge said he would serve an additional two years for each victim if he failed to pay $US2000 (NZ$2726) to each girl's family.

The Cambodian Court of Appeal has rejected two appeals by Cleghorn since then.

The New Zealand embassy in Bangkok monitors Cleghorn's wellbeing, and was in regular contact with his daughter in Australia.

His New Zealand lawyer, Greg King, told The Dominion Post Cleghorn's health was deteriorating.

Cleghorn has claimed that he was framed by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre (CWCC), which he alleged fabricated the story to get foreign aid money.

A spokesman for the CWCC has denied the accusation and said the group had all the documents related to the case

- NZPA