Supreme Court affirms life in jail for Aussie child trafficker, Filipina accomplice

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has upheld the life imprisonment sentences for Australian national Peter Gerald Scully and his Filipina accomplice for qualified trafficking under Republic Act 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

In a decision penned on Nov.  26, 2024, but made public in March 2025, the court upheld the conviction of Scully and Carme Ann Alvarez, which includes a fine of P5 million each and P600,000 in damages per victim.

The ruling also clarified that the absence of explicit pornographic evidence does not preclude a conviction for human trafficking.

The case

The conviction stemmed from a September 2014 incident where Alvarez lured two minors, aged 9 and 12, from a mall with promises of food. She took them to a house rented by Scully, where they were subjected to abuse.

Scully provided the girls with alcohol, forced them to undress, and took nude photos. They were chained, coerced to watch a pornographic film, and sexually exploited by both Scully and Alvarez. The acts were documented using a laptop.

After four days of captivity, the girls managed to escape and reported the crime to the police.

Proceedings

The Regional Trial Court (RTC) initially convicted Scully and Alvarez in 2018, with the Court of Appeals affirming the decision in 2022.

The pair then appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming their constitutional right to present evidence was violated when the trial court supposedly prevented them from presenting their side of the case.

They also argued that their acts did not constitute trafficking as they allegedly abducted the minors for personal gratification rather than exploitation by others.

The ruling

The Supreme Court rejected these arguments, saying all elements of trafficking were met under RA 9208. The law defines trafficking as recruiting, transporting or transferring individuals—regardless of consent—through coercion or deception for exploitative purposes such as prostitution or slavery.

"The RTC and the CA correctly convicted accused-appellants of qualified trafficking in persons. It was sufficiently proven that all the elements of the crime are present,” the court’s decision read.

When victims are minors, the crime is classified as qualified trafficking, which carries a life sentence.

The high court also dismissed claims that their right to be heard was violated. It noted that the RTC granted multiple postponements requested by their lawyers but concluded that repeated absences by both accused and counsel constituted a waiver of their right to present evidence.

"The hearings were repeatedly postponed at their instance," the Supreme Court said. "The accused-appellants are deemed to have waived their right to present evidence, and the facts of this case do not constitute a deprivation of accused-appellant's constitutional rights."