Man gets 40 years for rape

The Regional Trial Court has sentenced a 42-year-old man from Minglanilla town to 40 years in jail for raping his neighbor five years ago.

In convicting Leo Vinci Lasaga, Judge Gilbert Moises of RTC Branch 18 said that the accused’ “sweetheart defense” “would not exonerate the suspect from the charge, for the existence of an intimate relationship between the victim and the accused is not a bar for conviction.”

Moises said even a “sweetheart” cannot be forced to engage in sexual intercourse against her will. Aside from imprisonment, Moises also ordered Lasaga to pay P50,000 as civil indemnity.

The victim told the court that on August 21, 2003, the accused barged into her house in Minglanilla and told her that he only wanted to watch television. She said Lasaga appeared to be allegedly under the influence of drugs because his eyes were already “reddish” in color.

Suspecting that Lasaga was up to something, the victim said she ran towards the restroom but the suspect reportedly stopped her from entering and subsequently raped her.

Lasaga denied the allegations, saying the victim was his girlfriend and that they were just being intimate with each other during that time, although he admitted that he was able to penetrate the victim’s private part.

But the court said the “sweetheart defense” is a much-abused defense that “rashly derides the intelligence of the court and sorely test its patience.” — Jasmin R. Uy/JMO