Facts:

• Defendants Ignacio Dacotan and others were charged with robbery.
• The incident occurred when the complaining witness entered the house of the defendants at their invitation and was subsequently robbed by force.
• The case was brought before the court for trial.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The court ruled that the testimony of one witness is indeed sufficient to support a judgment of conviction, as long as it satisfies beyond a reasonable doubt.
• The court found the evidence presented by the wi...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• Under the current law, a person can be convicted based on the testimony of a single witness if the court is convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the witness's truthfulness.

• In this case, the court found the evidence presented by the witness to be sufficient to sustain the conviction of the defendants.

• The penalty imposed on the defendants was not in accordance with the law.

• The offense committed by the defendants falls under article 503, No. 5, of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years.

• The aggravating circumstance of abuse of confidence, which was initially considered, was deemed inappropriate as the complaining witness entered the defendants' house at their invitation.

• The court reasoned that this did not constitute abuse of confidence, as it was no different from an invitation to a secluded place where the defendants could rob the witness without interference.

• Therefore, the court decided to impose a penalty in the medium grade, sentencing the defendants to three years, eight months, and one day of presidi...continue reading