ACTOR William Martinez on Tuesday took the witness stand during the resumption of the hearing for the acts of lasciviousness charges his daughter has filed against actor Baron Geisler before a Makati court.
Martinez testified at the sala of Makati Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 61 Judge Marcos Diasen Jr. as the prosecution’s fourth witness in the controversial case against Geisler.
Present at the hearing were the complainant and Geisler who was also accompanied by his counsel, Bonifacio Alentajan.
Martinez recounted to the court how he knew of the incident after his then 21-year-old daughter Patrizha Maree Martinez called him in the United States to say she was harassed by Geisler.
In her complaint, Patrizha said that she along with her friends were inside the Fiama Bar at Jupiter Street in Makati City on the night of April 25, 2008 when Geisler embraced and asked her if she had a boyfriend and told her to have sex with him.
She added that Geisler apologized for his statement, but then touched her breasts. She said she could not react at first for fear she might create a scene and hurt her parents' reputation.
Police filed the complaint against Geisler before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for violation of Article 336 (Acts of Lasciviousness) of the Revised Penal Code of the Revised Penal Code.
Martinez’s testimony took only about 20 minutes with the court setting the next hearing on April 22 with the turn of the defense to present their witnesses and evidence.
Before he took the witness stand, the prosecution team headed by Prosecutor Amanda Felipe also presented the complainant herself, her friend, Stephanie Barios, who they said witnessed the incident, and the complainant’s mother Yayo Aguila as their witnesses.
Last year, Geisler entered a not guilty plea when he was arraigned at the sala of Makati Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 64 Judge Ronald Romero last February 2009.
Romero later voluntarily inhibited himself from hearing the case after he learned that during the Christmas party of his staff held last December 19, 3008, an unidentified individual gave some of his staff complimentary tickets to the movie “Baler,” which starred Geisler.
Earlier, lawyer Alentajan argued that the case against his client should have been dismissed as there was no evidence to show that there was lewd design involved.
He also said that under the law, a lascivious act is done with force, violence or intimidation and is done with a lewd design.
Alentajan added that the complaint did not mention that Geisler had touched the complainant's breast with force, violence or intimidation. (AH/Sunnex)