PHNOM PENH - A CAMBODIAN court upheld a 13-year prison term on Tuesday for an American man convicted of sexually abusing a teenage girl.

Appeals Court judge Seng Sivutha handed down the verdict against Myron Maboris for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. The 46-year-old from Virginia was originally sentenced to 13 years by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in June last year.

During a court hearing on Thursday, Maboris denied the charges, telling the court 'I asked her to massage me only, I did not have sex with her.'

Police arrested Maboris during a raid on his Phnom Penh guesthouse room in October 2006 while he was with the ethnic Vietnamese girl, who was naked.

Kov Soupha, Maboris's defense lawyer, said he will discuss with his client whether to appeal to a higher court.

Lax law enforcement and poverty have made Cambodia a prime destination for foreigners seeking sex with minors. But police have recently stepped up efforts to fight the crime and several foreigners are serving lengthy prison terms. -- AP