George Moussallie, 52, an English teacher at a private school in the capital Phnom Penh, has been in custody since last August when police raided his rented apartment near the riverfront Royal Palace and found him with two young boys.

Handing down the five-year sentence at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday Judge Kor Vandy said Moussallie was guilty on charges of having sex with children and "indecent acts".

The court "orders him to be deported from Cambodia after serving his prison term", the judge said, ordering Moussallie to pay a total of $2,500 in compensation to two of his victims.

During his trial earlier this year, Moussallie denied having sex with minors, accusing anti-paedophile NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), which assisted police with their investigation, of framing him.

Khoem Vando of APLE on Thursday rejected Moussallie's allegations.

"Offenders always accuse those involved in an investigation into them so that they can be acquitted," he told AFP, welcoming the move to deport Moussallie after his jail term "to prevent him from preying on more children".

Vando added that Moussallie had been on their watch list since 2009 and that the boys abused by him were all street children, with only two having sought compensation.

Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia drive in 2003 to shed its reputation as a haven for foreign child sex offenders.

Dozens of foreigners have since been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries. (++++)

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