For his family

Hamilton trans-Atlantic rower Rob Hamill testified at the Khmer Rouge tribunal trial of Tuol Sleng prison camp chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, who is accused of ordering the torture and execution of Hamill’s older brother Kerry after his yacht accidentally sailed into Cambodian waters in 1978. Kerry Hamill is believed to have been one of a handful of Westerners killed in the camp between 1975 and 1979. An emotionally drained Hamill said there was sense of relief at having made his statement, aimed at court judges and detailing the huge impact of his brother’s death on the Hamill family. He was able to make extensive eye contact with Duch, who sat just metres from him. “I had some emotional moments in there,” Hamill said of his appearance, which lasted just under an hour. “I was wiping away a few tears as I was telling the story.” Hamill was among 18 civil parties expected to testify at the at the tribunal over the next two weeks. “It was pretty powerful, being in there, and being part of that. I really felt I got the message across that I wanted to,” he said.