A 77-year-old British man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in Cambodia for sexually abusing three boys.

Roy Sheppard was sentenced by a provincial court in the north-eastern province of Siem Reap for indecent acts committed against three boys aged 12 to 16 years old.

Action Pour Les Enfants, a non-governmental organisation that combats the sexual exploitation of children, said Sheppard was arrested in October after complaints were received from the boys' parents.

It said it was unclear if he would serve his sentence, since he was at large after being released on bail for health reasons.

Poverty and poor law enforcement have made Cambodia a magnet for foreign paedophiles, but the government has cracked down on sex offenders in the past decade.

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