Thursday, July 06, 2006
Pinay who accused 4 US Marines of rape to take witness stand (11:04 a.m.)
MANILA -- A Filipino woman who accused four US Marines of rape was set to take the witness stand Thursday in a six-week-long emotional trial that has tested the alliance between the Philippines and the US.
The 22-year-old, identified in court by the pseudonym "Nicole," alleged she was attacked Nov. 1 by Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith as Lance Cpl. Keith Silkwood, Lance Cpl. Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sgt. Chad Carpentier cheered on the assault.
The Marines have refused to answer the rape charges, punishable by up to 40 years in prison, prompting the judge to enter an innocent plea for them. Defense lawyers insist Smith had consensual sex with the woman.
During the fast-track proceedings to beat a one-year deadline for the case, several witnesses have testified the woman was drinking with the Marines on the night of the alleged rape, and was seen carried out of a bar on Smith's back into a van.
Witnesses said they later saw the Marines take the half-naked woman out of the van and leave her on a sidewalk.
Dr. Rolando Ortiz II of the James Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo city, west of Manila, had told the court the accuser suffered bruises on her arms, legs and genital area that were consistent with a sexual assault.
The woman's stepsister also testified that a Filipino man offered them money not to pursue the case, although she did not explain whom he represented.
On Wednesday, Carpentier, who together with the other Marines has been confined to the US Embassy in Manila, told a TV station in a rare interview that "Nicole" was being manipulated to accuse the servicemen.
"She's a victim but not a victim of us, she's a victim of some of the people surrounding her," he told GMA television, without elaborating.
"We're human. We're not, you know, the monsters that we're made out to be," he said.
The embassy, which has custody of the men under a treaty with the Philippine government, hasn't released their ages or hometowns.
Under the treaty, the proceedings must conclude in one year.
The case sparked anti-American protests in the former US colony and is seen as a black mark on exercises credited with helping weaken al-Qaida-linked militants in the country's restive south.
But Ambassador Kristie Kenney said recently she was confident the case won't affect the US-Philippine ties despite regular anti-American protests outside the packed courtroom.
The men were part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa, Japan.(AP) |
