Jan. 23
PHILIPPINES:
CA affirms death sentence on man who raped 14-year-old
The Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of a Quezon City court imposing
capital punishment on a man who repeatedly raped the 14-year-old daughter
of his common-law wife allegedly with the consent of the victims mother.
In an 18-page ruling, the CAs 17th Division, through Associate Justice
Josefina Guevara Salonga, dismissed the appeal of the accused, Florentino
Angeles of Novaliches, Quezon City, for failing to present evidence that
would warrant a reversal of the lower courts conviction.
Court records showed that the crime was reported to authorities on July 8,
1997, a year after the incidences of rape occurred.
While being investigated by the police, the CA noted that the mother,
known as "Fedelina, castigated her (victim), stepped on her toes whenever
(the victims) statements tended to implicate her."
A medical examination on the victim conducted seven years ago by the
criminal investigation service through medico-legal officer Ma. Cristina
Freyra indicated that penetration had occurred, resulting in deep
lacerations.
Around July 1996, the victim was inside the house of her mother and the
accused when she overheard the former telling the appellant to consider
raping her. That night, the accused, court records indicate, entered her
room and sexually abused her. These abuses were committed at least three
more times on separate occasions.
(source: The Manila Standard Today)
VIETNAM:
5 death sentences for drug traffickers
The Hanoi People's Court on Jan 20 handed down 4 death sentences and 5
life imprisonment sentences to 9 members of a drug trafficking ring that
had transported 71 cakes of heroin from Laos via Son La and Hoa Binh
provinces, Hanoi capital city to the northern border province of Lang Son.
The recipients of death sentence include Vang A Vang, 23, and Vang A Pao,
31, both of whom used to be policemen.
The ringleader, Truong Thi Chung, female, was commuted from death sentence
to life imprisonment because she is the mother of a child under 3 years
old.
(source: Vietnam News Agency)
