SC affirms conviction of pedophile, accomplice
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Australian pedophile Peter Scully, the mastermind behind the production of a disturbing material that depicted severe abuse and exploitation of children, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) said over the weekend.
In a statement, Iacat said the Supreme Court, in a decision not yet made public, affirmed the conviction of Scully and his accomplice Carme Anne Alvarez for qualified trafficking in persons, sentencing them to life imprisonment and a P5-million fine per victim.
“The ruling also clarified a critical legal principle—that the absence of pornographic material as evidence does not preclude a conviction for human trafficking,” Iacat said of the decision promulgated on Nov. 26, 2024.
The high court emphasized the essence of human trafficking lies in the act of recruiting, using, or exploiting a fellow human being for sexual abuse, regardless of whether explicit material exists, the council added.
DOJ: We are watching
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Iacat chair, lauded the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying it sends a clear message that “there will be no predator that will walk free and justice will lock up those who prey on the innocent.”
“To those who seek to harm our children, let this be your warning: We are watching and we will find you,” he said.
Based on available court records, the victims, who were aged 9 and 12 at the time of the incident in 2014, were lured by Alvarez under false pretenses in a mall in Cagayan de Oro.
Chained victims
The minors were taken to a house rented by Scully and Alvarez, where they were chained, coerced to perform sexual acts, and physically assaulted.
The accused also photographed and documented through the use of a laptop the sexual acts they committed on the victims, subjecting them not only to sexual exploitation but also to pornography.
The victims managed to escape and reported their ordeal to the police, which then raided the house and arrested Alvarez.
Scully was later apprehended after further investigation.
In a decision dated March 30, 2022, the Court of Appeals upheld the 2018 ruling of a lower court convicting Scully and Alvarez of qualified trafficking in persons.
