Rape case vs lawyer elevated to court

CEBU, Philippines — The Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor has recommended no bail against Cebu-based lawyer and broadcaster Juril Patiño, who is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in Barangay Parian, Cebu City last July.

State prosecutor Alex Gabud has found sufficient ground to elevate the case to court, saying it is better to thresh out the claims and defenses of both camps in full-blown trial.

"The testimony of the minor victim coupled with the result of her medical examination, which showed positive result of laceration of the hymen, prevails over Juril's. It is recommended that an information for rape be filed in court against Atty. Juril Patiño,” Gabud’s resolution read.

A source at the criminal division of the Office of the Clerk of Court at the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City confirmed to The FREEMAN last night that the case has been raffled off and assigned to RTC Branch 20.

To recall, the victim claimed she was raped on July 4 last year but only reported it to the Parian Police Station eight days later because of fear. She was accompanied by her mother when they went to the police station.

Allegedly, the girl went to the radio station where the accused worked to look for her mother's employer, who happened to be the colleague of the latter.

Patiño allegedly entertained the girl because her mother’s employer was out of town.

The victim alleged that she was there to ask money from her mother’s employer that she would use for her school project.

When she learned that her mother's employer was not around, she allegedly asked P7 from Patiño for her fare back home, but the accused allegedly said his money was in his car.

Allegedly, she decided to leave but the accused told her to come with him in his car to get his money.

With the girl on board, the accused then drove his car to Zamora Street in Barangay Parian where the alleged crime was committed.

When the news broke, Patiño took to his Facebook account to deny the allegations, claiming it was an attack not just against him but the media institution, as well as the legal profession. —JMD (FREEMAN)