Man beats girl, 4, after failed rape

MANILA, Philippines - A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with statutory rape in relation to child abuse in Valenzuela City yesterday for allegedly beating a four-year-old girl after he failed to rape her on Sunday.

The girl’s mother said she allowed her child to buy candy from a nearby store. When the girl returned, the complainant noticed that her child was in pain and had bruises on her thighs and buttocks.

The girl told her mother that their landlord’s son, John Noven Baylon, grabbed her, brought her to a vacant lot and reportedly tried to rape her. When he failed, he beat her with a pipe, the girl said.

Baylon admitted hitting the girl but denied raping her. He told The STAR he was high on drugs and “something told him to do it.”

Valenzuela police chief Senior Superintendent Rhoderick Armamento said merely touching a girl’s genitals constitutes rape.