People of the Philippines v. Rupal, G.R. No. 222497 (2018)

The Regional Trial Court of Bohol and the Court of Appeals found the appellant, Pedro Rupal, guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl after dragging her to a nearby farm and later threatening the lives of her mother and siblings. Rupal appealed, pointing to inconsistencies in the number of times the victim testified to being raped, and arguing that the prosecution was unable to sufficiently prove his guilt. According to the Supreme Court, inconsistent statements did not harm the victim’s credibility, given the fear and distress that she suffered; and regardless, frequency is not an element of rape. The Court affirmed Rupal's conviction and his sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison, in addition to the payment of PHP 225,000.00 in damages to the victim.

Topics

• Sexual violence and rape
• Statutory rape or defilement

Geographical location

• Asia
• Philippines

Keywords

• burden of proof
• child abuse
• criminal law and procedure
• elements of rape
• trauma
• victim rights

Year

• 2018

External URL

• People of the Philippines v. Rupal, G.R. No. 222497 (2018)

Court

• Supreme Court of the Philippines

Type

• Domestic Case Law

Jurisdiction

• Philippines