A Slovakian man has been sentenced to three years in jail and must be deported after serving his term for having sex with a 13-year-old boy after a court in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday.
Roman Zmajkovie, 33, was charged with “Having sexual intercourse with children,” a crime punishable by imprisonment of up to 15 years.
According to the indictment, Roman Zmajkovie entered the country on a tourist visa late last year, but did not leave when it expired and continued to stay on.
Roman Zmajkovie took advantage of knowing a little Vietnamese and went to Thien Quang Lake in Hanoi to make the acquaintance of the boy.
Roman Zmajkovie promised to give the boy money in exchange for a sexual relationship, and gave him US$12.8 (VND300,000) after having sex for the first time early this year and almost double for the next time.
Roman Zmajkovic | Image source: anninhthudo.vn
The local police caught him red-handed May 4 when he was having sex with the boy at a hotel in the city centre.
The boy refused to undergo a medical examination or treatment but asked Roman Zmajkovie for VND105 million ($4,489) in compensation for his physical and mental damage. Viet Dung reports on VNExpress.
The United Nations had said last year that one in four children in Vietnam is a victim of abuse and at least 1,300 cases of sexual violence against children are reported each year.
While official statistics are unavailable, the U.N. estimates the true numbers are consistently alarming.