Lover faces two charges; husband to pursue raps

CEBU, Philippines - The taxi driver, who escaped charges for staging the kidnapping of his lover, the wife of an Australian national, to extort money from the foreigner did not anymore escape two other criminal cases filed against him.

The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday indicted Jimmy Amen for illegal possession of firearms and possession of illegal drugs.

Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon already transmitted the indictment papers to the Regional Trial Court. 

Amen can gain temporary liberty if he posts a bail of P80,000 for the charge of illegal possession of firearms and P60,000 for drug possession.

Amen was caught with his paramour, Carin Ann Kenny, during a police entrapment operation in an uptown department store following a “kidnap-me” scenario they created to extort money the woman’s husband.

The entrapment was conducted by the elements of the Intelligence and Detective Management Branch of the Cebu City Police Office in the evening of March 3 following a complaint filed by Australian National Sean Paul Kenny.

Kenny reported to the police that his wife was kidnapped and that the kidnapper was demanding P15,000 for her release.

Kenny and the alleged kidnapper agreed to meet at the uptown department store where Amen was caught receiving the P10,000 marked money. During his arrest, Amen was in possession of a caliber .357 revolver and a pack of shabu.

The police found out that Amen and the Australian’s wife were actually lovers and were just staging the kidnapping scenario to extort money.

The police filed a criminal case for other forms of deceit against Amen and Carin Ann Kenny for staging a kidnapping. However, the prosecutor’s office dismissed the case for lack of probable cause. The prosecutor’s office was forced to dismiss the case after the foreigner refused to pursue the case against his wife.

Although, Amen was exonerated from any criminal liability for the staged kidnapping, he was not able to escape from the liabilities of bringing an unlicensed firearm and a pack of shabu.

 Meanwhile, Sean Paul Kenny and his wife may be held liable for bigamy if proven that they got married despite the previous marriage of Carin Ann.

Felipe Demos Jr., 33, appeared before the police office to claim that he is the legal husband of Carin Ann and that their marriage has not been voided nor annulled.

Demos claimed that he and Carin Ann got married in Leyte in Aprl 12, 2000 and have seven children.

But despite her marriage to Demos, Carin Ann contracted another marriage to Kenny last year allegedly before Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob. — Fred P. Languido and Niña Chrismae G. Sumacot/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)