Rape was normal sex, says Marine
From correspondents in Manila
Article from: Agence France-Presse
ONE of four US Marines at the centre of a controversial rape case told a Philippine court today that he saw no rape, just "normal lovemaking".
Lance Corporal Keith Silkwood said that when he and his fellow accused rode in a van with the Filipina, she and Lance Corporal Daniel Smith engaged in "normal lovemaking."
"They were kissing, being flirtatious, kind of making out. I could hear what was going on, the sound of kissing and giggling.
"I think it was normal lovemaking," he said, adding he also did not witness anything that indicated the woman was struggling against Corporal Smith.
The 22-year-old woman, only known as Nicole, had earlier said she met the Marines at a nightclub last November inside the former US naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila.
She told the court the Marines took her into a rented van where Corporal Smith raped her while the others cheered him on. All four have been charged with rape under Philippine law.
Corporal Smith earlier told the court he had sex with the woman but it was consensual.
Apart from Corporal Silkwood and Corporal Smith the other defendants in the case are Lance Corporal Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier.
Nicole has boycotted the proceedings after she publicly accused government prosecutors of "incompetence" and with being too lenient on the Americans.
The Justice Department earlier said it would not replace the prosecutors.
The case has stoked bitter anti-US sentiment in this former American colony and sparked street protests.
It is also seen as a litmus test for the Visiting Forces Agreement that grants limited immunity to criminal prosecution to US soldiers taking part in manoeuvres in the country.
Under the terms of the agreement, US military defendants can be held in custody by the US Embassy in Manila but tried in a civilian Philippine court where the judge can decide whether to open proceedings to the media or public.
ONE of four US Marines at the centre of a controversial rape case told a Philippine court today that he saw no rape, just "normal lovemaking".
Lance Corporal Keith Silkwood said that when he and his fellow accused rode in a van with the Filipina, she and Lance Corporal Daniel Smith engaged in "normal lovemaking."
"They were kissing, being flirtatious, kind of making out. I could hear what was going on, the sound of kissing and giggling.
"I think it was normal lovemaking," he said, adding he also did not witness anything that indicated the woman was struggling against Corporal Smith.
The 22-year-old woman, only known as Nicole, had earlier said she met the Marines at a nightclub last November inside the former US naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila.
She told the court the Marines took her into a rented van where Corporal Smith raped her while the others cheered him on. All four have been charged with rape under Philippine law.
Corporal Smith earlier told the court he had sex with the woman but it was consensual.
Apart from Corporal Silkwood and Corporal Smith the other defendants in the case are Lance Corporal Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier.
Nicole has boycotted the proceedings after she publicly accused government prosecutors of "incompetence" and with being too lenient on the Americans.
The Justice Department earlier said it would not replace the prosecutors.
The case has stoked bitter anti-US sentiment in this former American colony and sparked street protests.
It is also seen as a litmus test for the Visiting Forces Agreement that grants limited immunity to criminal prosecution to US soldiers taking part in manoeuvres in the country.
Under the terms of the agreement, US military defendants can be held in custody by the US Embassy in Manila but tried in a civilian Philippine court where the judge can decide whether to open proceedings to the media or public.
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
7:50 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home