Ricketson is on trail in Phnom Penh accused of spying for a foreign government between 1995 and 2017

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Australian film-maker and alleged spy James Ricketson is a good man who helps the poor and is not involved in politics, a Phnom Penh court has been told.

Giving evidence before a bench of three judges on Monday, Chab Thy said she had known Ricketson for more than 20 years, since she was about 10.

“I was sleeping on the street with a bottle of water and a bunch of bananas,” she said.

Her evidence was given priority in the hearing because she is pregnant and about to give birth.

She said Ricketson had funded her schooling and later paid for the education of her own children. He often gave food to children scavenging on the city’s rubbish dumps and had helped out with the rent.

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“My family stopped begging,” she said, adding Ricketson’s help had enabled her family to become self sufficient after setting up a small food stall selling chickens and peaches.

Often he gave her as much as $US110 ($A150) a week. He also filmed her for documentaries he has made about poverty in Cambodia which were funded by Australian film bodies.

“He’s a very good man,” she said, adding Ricketson had become her godfather after her paternal father died.

Judge Seng Leang earlier told the court that Ricketson’s alleged crimes were committed between 1995 and June 2017, when he was arrested.

Ricketson has been handed 1,600 pages of evidence by prosecutors who allege he was spying for a foreign government, a charge he denies.

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His case has also been tied to the banned opposition Cambodian National Rescue party, but Chab Thy said Ricketson never discussed politics and once told her to vote for the party of her choice.

Dressed in his usual prison orange jumpsuit Ricketson seemed in better spirits following last week’s appearance by acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir, who testified as a character witness.

“Hopefully today the prosecutor will present some evidence about which country I’ve been spying for,” he said as he walked handcuffed into the courtroom.

The hearing continues.