Case Digest (G.R. No. 24507)
Facts:
- Defendant-Appellant: Celedonio de la Cruz
- Crime: Abduction with rape
- Offended Party: Toribia Minaos, a 14-year-old maiden
- Incident:
- Minaos went out to buy bread and engaged in conversation at Gay Square, Iloilo.
- De la Cruz took Minaos in his car with other passengers to San Miguel.
- After other passengers alighted, De la Cruz continued with Minaos and eventually stopped in an uninhabited place.
- Allegedly, De la Cruz had sexual intercourse with Minaos.
- De la Cruz returned Minaos to Iloilo and left her at Eagle Cinematograph Theatre.
- Policeman Pedro Mallo found Minaos and took her to the police station.
- Lower Court Sentence: Seventeen years, four months, and one day of reclusion temporal, including accessory penalties and costs of the action.
Issue:
- (Unlock)
Ruling:
- Supreme Court Decision:
- Reversed the lower court's decision.
- Acquitted Celedonio d...(Unlock)
Ratio:
- Testimony of Toribia Minaos:
- Found unworthy of belief regarding the use of force.
- Improbable scenario at Gay Square, a public place, for De la Cruz to forcibly place Minaos in his car without attracting attention.
- Defendant’s Testimony:
- De la Cruz's account deemed more credible: mutual agreement to ride, returned to Iloilo, entered a cinema, and separated thereafter.
- Lack of Corroborative Evidence:
- No evidence to support the claim of rape.
- Minaos' uncorroborated testimony insufficient to prove non-consent.
- Legal Conclusion:
- Act did not constitute abduction with consent under Article 446 of the Penal Code.
- No intention to take Minaos away from the authority of her master or conceal her whereabouts for a significant period.
- Criminal law does not punish mere amorous appointments.
- Outcome:...continue reading
Case Digest (G.R. No. 24507)
Facts:
The case "People vs. De la Cruz" involves the defendant-appellant Celedonio de la Cruz, who was found guilty by the Court of First Instance of Iloilo of the crime of abduction with rape. The incident took place when the offended party, Toribia Minaos, a 14-year-old maiden, went out one evening to buy bread and spent time chatting with chauffeurs at Gay Square in Iloilo. On that evening, De la Cruz took Minaos in his car along with other passengers to the municipality of San Miguel. After the other passengers alighted, De la Cruz and Minaos continued riding until around 7 PM, when De la Cruz stopped the car in an uninhabited place and had sexual intercourse with her. Subsequently, De la Cruz returned with Minaos to Iloilo and left her at the Eagle Cinematograph Theatre. Minaos was later found by policeman Pedro Mallo, who took her to the police station following a report of her absence. The lower court sentenced De la Cruz to seventeen years, four months, and one day of reclusion temporal, along with the accessory penalties of the law and the costs of the action.
Issue:
The main...