A Spanish national accused of sexually abusing a Filipina teen has pleaded not guilty to the charges before a Taguig City court, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday.
“Accused Franco Sanchez was arraigned where he pleaded not guilty. The pre-trial was also concluded,” Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said in a message to reporters.
“The motion to dismiss filed by the accused was denied by the court,” she added.
Villar said the next hearing on the child abuse and child pornography cases was set for December 7.
The DOJ indicted Sanchez, 36, in August after it acted favorably on the complaint filed by Jane (not her real name), a 16-year-old student who claimed that she met the accused online.
Jane said Sanchez picked her up in Pasay City in December 2020 and brought her to his place in Taguig City where they took illegal drugs and had sexual intercourse.
From December 2020 to February 2021, Jane recounted nine other incidents where the accused allegedly took advantage of her. She said at one point, Sanchez filmed the sexual acts.
However, the DOJ said that Jane had filed an affidavit of desistance.
According to Villar, Jane said “she decided not to pursue the case against Franco Sanchez anymore” after supposedly patching up the misunderstanding and misapprehension of facts between them.
“As a general rule, courts view unfavorably affidavits of desistance or a recantation of a victim’s testimony, since they can be easily be obtained,” the court’s order dated October 27 said.
It said that such affidavits are “viewed with suspicion and reservation.”
According to Villar, the presiding judge stated that the dismissal of a child abuse case is prohibited if made solely on the basis of an affidavit of desistance or recantation by the victim or the victim’s family.
“The presiding judge concluded that the affidavit of desistance did not exculpate the accused,” she said. — VBL, GMA News
Spanish national accused of sexually abusing Filipina teen pleads not guilty
Source: Pinoy Hub News
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