Cambodian assault victim – ex-wife of Australian boss denies involvement

The ex-wife of an Australian man whose Cambodian employee was assaulted by two Polish men last month has been forced to deny any involvement in the shocking crime.

Katanyuta Oche, 49 years old, of Nakhon Ratchasima, told reporters that she heard in media reports that she was accused of involvement in the case in Pattaya.

Katanyuta denied knowing the Polish men who are wanted for the assault and were last heard of heading for The Philippines on November 3. Local police have asked Interpol for help.

The ex-wife of the Australian man said she had never phoned the woman to threaten her and had no reason to arrange such a crime. The allegations, she said, had damaged her personal and professional reputation, and she was ready to give her side of the story if asked by the police. Katanyuta said she planned to sue the pair over the allegations.

A coordinator for overseas documentaries in Southeast Asia, Katanyuta said she had visited Cambodia many years ago and remembers seeing the woman at a casting call, but did not know how her then-husband came to know the woman. Last year, she filed for divorce and the case is still in court. She said she had not been in contact with the man, other than to discuss taking care of their son who is studying abroad.

The victim reportedly told police after the assault that her life had been threatened by the ex-wife of her employer, a claim that did not come to light until lawyer Sittha Biabangkerd brought it to the attention of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.

The victim required 260 stitches in her face, was hit with a hammer and had acid splashed on her genitals in a forest in Bang Lamung district on November 1.

Investigators identified the assailants, aged 22 and 31, from fingerprints and DNA left at the crime scene.

Pol Col Nawin Sinthurat, chief of the Bang Lamung police station, said on Friday the assault was planned and had all the hallmarks of a relationship conflict.