Supreme Court decision · Criminal Law

United States v. Melecio Flores

G.R. No. L-2853 · Promulgated August 30, 1906 · Ponente: Tracey

In brief

This case is about the dismissal of a rape complaint due to insufficient corroboration and doubts raised by the complainant's contradictory testimony.

Conviction, Corroboration, Testimony, Reasonable Doubt, Dismissal

Related cases

G.R. No. L-2844 United States v. Saulo (Previous decision in Criminal Law)
G.R. No. L-2736 United States v. Giner (Next decision in Criminal Law)

Full text

Republic of the Philippines
SUPREME COURT
Manila

EN BANC

G.R. No. L-2853 August 30, 1906

THE UNITED STATES, plaintiff-appellee,
vs.
MELECIO FLORES, defendant-appellant.

Maximino Mina, for appellant.
Office of the Solicitor-General Araneta, for appellee.

TRACEY, J.:

The conviction of the defendant for rape is based upon the testimony of the complainant alone, inasmuch as the two other witnesses for the prosecution corroborate her testimony on unimportant points only, not in dispute. Her story is contradicted by the accused and is inconsistent in detail. In cases of this kind the evidence of the complainant to justify the conviction of the defendant must be clear and must be corroborated (U.S. vs. Mamintud,¹ August 16, 1906), otherwise it fails to satisfy beyond a reasonable doubt, as required by U. S. vs. Dacotan ( 1 Phil., Rep., 669).

The complaint in this case should be dismissed and the defendant discharged with costs de oficio. So ordered.

Arellano, C.J., Torres, Mapa, Carson and Willard, JJ., concur.

Footnotes

¹ Page 374, supra.