Man charged for raping niece during sleepovers

MANILA, Philippines - A man was arrested Friday for allegedly raping his 12-year-old niece at least 10 times when she would sleep over at his house during the past year.

The girl’s father said he would send his youngest child over to his sister’s house since their shanty was so small it could not accommodate his two children at night. He said this had been the arrangement for the past year, and he was unaware that his daughter was being raped by his sister’s husband.

“I thought my child was going to be safe there,” the single father told The STAR in an interview. The victim is a sixth grader at a public elementary school.

The victim’s uncle was arrested at his house in Barangay Batasan Hills Friday morning and has been charged with rape, said Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano.

QCPD Station 6 commander Superintendent Ramon Pranada said the arrest was based on a complaint filed by the father, who discovered the crime only on Thursday night.

Pranada said the father and his two children live in Barangay Payatas.

According to Pranada, the father, who works as a painter, had been letting his daughter stay over at his sister’s house at night because they had no space at their shanty.

His sister’s house was much bigger, but all the members of the household would sleep side by side at night, the victim’s father said.

On Thursday night, the suspect’s daughter-in-law noticed him groping someone while everyone else was asleep. The daughter-in-law thought the woman was her mother-in-law, until she saw the child’s petite frame.

The suspect’s daughter-in-law told the child’s father about what she saw, said QCPD deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao.

The child had been so afraid to tell her father about her ordeal because her uncle had threatened her, Pagdilao said.

Though seething with anger, the father had to restrain himself to avoid attacking the suspect.

He said he waited until Friday morning and reported the alleged rapes to the police.