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Trial begins in child molestation case
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Posted on Sep 15 2004
The jury trial of a man accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl began yesterday at the Superior Court, with the prosecution witness telling the court the events leading up to the alleged incident.
Lolita Catap, who worked as nanny of the victim for two years, said the alleged crime happened on Dec. 19, 2003, when she agreed to let the suspect, Joselito Castro, drop the girl at her grandmother’s house in Chalan Kanoa.
Catap said that Castro had volunteered to do this.
Catap said that she and the girl, who is a daughter of her friend, had gone to UIC in San Antonio to bring food to her husband. She said she was supposed to bring the girl to her grandmother’s place in Chalan Kanoa as requested by the girl’s mother.
She said the defendant, who used to be a close family friend, was at UIC and overheard that she needed to drop the girl in Chalan Kanoa.
“He [defendant] volunteered to bring her [to CK] using my car,” she told the court.
Catap said she had to go somewhere else so she agreed to the offer. Besides, she said she trusted Castro with the child because “he’s an old family friend.”
“I knew him since 1993. I trusted him,” she said.
Catap said she had no idea that something bad had happened to the girl until that evening when the girl’s mother came to her place.
Catap said the girl’s mother was very angry at her and demanded to know who dropped her daughter off at CK.
Catap said that, based on the mother’s revelation, Castro allegedly kissed and touched the girl’s private parts.
Catap said her husband called Castro to their house and confronted him over the incident. At that time, she said the girl and her mom were also at their house. Catap said the defendant flatly denied the allegation.
During her testimony, Catap broke down in tears when she was asked whether she believed the defendant’s claim. She said she initially refused to believe the story but then she realized that the 9-year old girl, whom she knows well, could not make up the story.
“I believe it. She [the girl] is like my daughter. I believe that he did it. She couldn’t make up a story like that,” she said.
