PHNOM PENH, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court has convicted a man of violating a lockdown measure and sentenced him to one year in prison, a court spokesman said.
It marked the first case that a COVID-19 measure offender had been prosecuted since the Southeast Asian nation imposed a 14-day lockdown in Phnom Penh capital city and adjacent Ta Khmau city on April 15 to curb the virus spread.
Phnom Penh Municipal court spokesman Kuch Kimlong said late on Sunday that Dara Rath Sokun, 27, was arrested on April 15 after he intentionally cut off a police barricade tape deployed to cordon off a street to prevent people from travelling through during the lockdown.
The spokesman said Phnom Penh Municipal court deputy prosecutor Long Chiep had charged Sokun under Articles 4 and 11 of the anti-COVID-19 Law.
"Presiding Judge Long Vanna had opened a trial (on Sunday) and decided to sentence him to one year in prison," Kimlong told reporters.
Cambodia has been suffering from the third community COVID-19 outbreak since Feb. 20.
The kingdom registered 624 new cases on Monday, taking the total number of infections to 7,013 with 45 fatalities, the Ministry of Health said, adding that there are currently 4,439 active cases in the country. Enditem
