‘Romantic episode,’ not rape, says CA
by Tetch Torres, Dona Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Court of Appeals has acquitted an American marine of raping a Filipina, saying the soldier and his accuser shared a “spontaneous, unplanned romantic episode.”
In a 71-page decision, the appellate court said Lance Corporal Daniel Smith and the victim, identified in court only as Nicole, were both intoxicated after a night out and were “carried away by their passions.”
The court also said Nicole flirted with Smith and led him on with “reckless abandon” and that there was “no evidence” that she was forced into sex.