Court convicts Laputan brothers for direct assault

The Carcar police finally succeeded in getting brothers Maximo and Concordio Laputan convicted, although this time, for a lesser offense of direct assault.

Carcar Municipal Trial Court judge Grace Ypil yesterday sentenced the Laputan brothers to imprisonment for a minimum of six months and one day to a maximum of two years after they were found guilty of direct assault.

The Laputan brothers were earlier tagged by Ronnie Tabora in the rape-slay of 13-year-old Mylene Laputan, daughter of Maximo and the niece of Concordio.

Regional Trial Court judge Raphael Yrastorza, Sr., however, acquitted the Laputan brothers of the charges of rape with homicide filed by the Carcar police. Yrastorza also ordered the Department of Justice to pay them P10,000 each as compensation after having been wrongfully accused.

The Laputan brothers may have been acquitted in the rape with homicide charge but they remain in jail because of the direct assault case that the Carcar police filed against them.

The case stemmed from the Laputan brothers' alleged resistance when they were arrested by the Carcar police after they were tagged as suspects in the rape-slay case.

Lawyer Elisa Porio of the Public Attorney's Office, who is assisting the accused, yesterday said they will file an appeal before the Regional Trial Court. Porio said they believe that the Laputan brothers should not have been indicted for direct assault because the arrest was illegal in the first place.

Porio said the police have no legal basis when they arrested the Laputan brothers in connection with the rape-slay of Mylene because there was no warrant and that it does not anymore fall under a hot pursuit operation.

Porio said they are now working for the release of the Laputan brothers from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center pending their appeal of the decision because they have already served the minimum penalty of six months. - Fred P. Languido/QSB