A SWISS national who was facing three cases of trafficking, abuse and child pornography jumped to his death while on-board a vessel after a court hearing yesterday.
Commander Agapito “Butch” Bibat, chief of the Coast Guard Station Cebu of the Philippine Coast Guard, identified the fatality as Walter Hauck, 67, a divorcee who used to live in Thailand for nine years before moving to the Philippines.
Hauck reportedly attended the hearing of his cases before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bogo City yesterday and was on his way back to Sta. Fe on board LCT Island II of Island Shipping Lines via Polambato Port when he jumped.
Permission
In an initial report, Bibat said that Hauck asked for permission to go to the toilet from his escort, Jail Officer 1 (JO1) Efren Manzanares of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
But Hauck later on jumped to the sea at 2:50 p.m., about one mile from Sta. Fe.
The body of Hauck was fetched by an ambulance of Sta. Fe Municipal Government and was brought to Bantayan District Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival by Dr. Delfin Jake Malazarte.
Hauck was handcuffed when he jumped to the sea, making it impossible for him to swim.
Hauck was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last year after he was accused of molesting five minor boys in a pension house in Sta. Fe.