Jeepney barker jailed for raping teenage boy

A jeepney barker was sentenced to six years in prison by a Manila judge on Monday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy.

Michael Adonis, who was initially charged with robbery with rape, was found guilty of “the felony of anal rape.”

According to court records, the man took the boy’s money worth P850 while they were in a jeepney on Sept. 3, 2011. The money was the second year high school student’s earnings from selling peanuts and pork rinds in the Malate area to help out his family.

“You can get your money if you follow me,” the accused allegedly told the victim.  The boy testified that when the man dragged him out of the jeepney, he asked the other passengers for help but the driver said, “Let them be.”

The victim said he was dragged to an alley near St. Paul University where the accused asked him to take off his shorts and underwear.

When the boy protested, the man punched him twice in the head and threatened to kill him.

After the sexual assault, the man returned only P400 to the boy who immediately sought the help of a barangay watchman. Adonis was later arrested as he was gambling on the street.

While Adonis entered a not guilty plea during the arraignment, he did not deny the allegations when he was arrested, investigated and detained.

“The failure of the accused to deny the accusation against him is an implied admission of guilt,” said the court decision handed down by Judge Silverio Castillo of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 48.

“There is no complex crime of theft with rape, thus, the court finds the accused liable for the felony of anal rape,” it added.