Cheyenne Suarez

SC gives weight to teen victim’s testimony vs man accused of touching her

Article (news)

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Supreme Court ruled that youth and immaturity of victims are strong indicators of sincerity and truthfulness of their testimonies against perpetrators of unlawful acts.</p><p>In a decision promulgated on October 21, 2024, the 3rd Division affirmed the conviction of Resty Laconsay for lascivious conduct under Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.</p><p>Laconsay was sentenced to imprisonment of 8 to 17 years and ordered to pay P165,000 in fines and damages.</p><p>“The court has consistently held that when the offended party is a young and immature girl, her version of what happened is generally given credence because of her relative vulnerability and the shame and embarrassment that may arise if the matter about which she testified were not true,” the court said in the decision penned by Associate Justice Henri Paul Inting.</p><p>The victim recounted during trial in the lower courts that when she was 14 years old, she was sleeping when Laconsay pulled down her blanket, touched her foot and caressed her leg up to her groin.</p><p>She told the court that she was able to see Laconsay’s face because of the light coming from her cellphone. </p><p>Her testimony was also corroborated by her sister who saw the incident.</p><p>Laconsay denied the allegations and asserted that he was elsewhere at the time of the crime. </p><p>The Supreme Court however rejected Laconsay’s denial and alibi, saying these cannot prevail over the clear testimonies and positive identification by the victim and her sister.</p><p>“The defense also failed to prove any ill motive on the part of AAA and BBB in testifying against petitioner,” the court said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pv3iZNsjCEE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>In a decision promulgated on October 21, 2024, the 3rd Division affirmed the conviction of Resty Laconsay for lascivious conduct under Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.</p>

In a decision promulgated on October 21, 2024, the 3rd Division affirmed the conviction of Resty Laconsay for lascivious conduct under Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.