Cebu City assistant prosecutor charged for attacking estranged husband’s partner
CEBU CITY — Criminal charges were filed against Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro on Tuesday, a day after she allegedly attacked the live-in partner of her estranged husband and the police inside Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) Office in Camp Sergio Osmeña in Cebu City.
Castro was brought to the prosecutor’s office by the police when the complaints for direct assault, malicious mischief, grave coercion, oral defamation, resistance and disobedience were filed late Monday afternoon.
Castro, who was arrested after attacking the policemen and Maricel Raffinan Gregory, complained she was not feeling well and was having difficulty breathing while inside the Fuente Police Station detention cell.
Paramedics arrived at the police station to assist Castro.
Castro stormed the RSOG office on Monday night when he learned that Gregory was taken into custody after surrendering to the police to face four counts of Internet libel filed against her by Castro.
Gregory, who was three months pregnant, was with her two sons aged 4 and 2 when she was detained inside the RSOG office.
Castro insisted that Gregory be turned over to the police in Talisay City where the charges were filed but RSOG refused.
When she saw Gregory, she attacked the woman who was then carrying one of her two sons and poured a glass of soda on her.
She started attacking the policemen who tried to subdue her. She and four men also allegedly destroyed Monday night the door of the RSOG office when she was refused entry.
She was also accused of hurting Senior Inspector Ruel Burlat who sustained a bite mark when he tried to pacify her.
Gregory is the common-law wife of Leodegreco Sanchez, son of the late Cebu Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez and Castro’s husband for six months.
Castro married Sanchez in a Muslim ceremony at Harold’s Hotel in Cebu City last Aug. 18, a day after Sanchez was released from a government-run drug rehabilitation center.
Sanchez reportedly converted to Islam so they could marry because because his previous marriage was not annulled.
But after two months, the couple parted ways.
Sanchez’s relationship with Gregory had started even before he married Castro. Sanchez has two sons with Gregory and their third child is on the way.
In a radio interview after she was arrested, Castro said she only wanted to bring Gregory to the Talisay City Police Office as a matter of procedure.
She said she didn’t expect to be arrested by the police.
“This is such a harassment, an absolute trampling of my constitutional rights. And to think, I am a woman. Not only that, I’m the offended party here, and look what they did, I was the one being arrested,” Castro said.
She accused the RSOG policemen of hiding Gregory.
“Why are they protecting a fugitive from justice? Why are they hiding a wanted person? I’ll give these policemen a chance for now. But after I post bail, they can expect counter-charges from me. Justice should be served,” she said.
She said she would pursue her cases against Supt. Rex Derilo, the police chief of Region 7.
In October 2015, they accused each other of stealing a brand new sports utility vehicle (SUV) placed under the prosecutor’s name. SFM
