Minor in sexual abuse case says she is not lying

In the continuation of the jury trial of Venitus “Vince” Ruwaath in Superior Court, the alleged victim in the case was the first to testify for the prosecution. After a series of questions about the incident, Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds asked the minor if she is lying and she replied, “If I was lying, why would I be here?” Hinds then asked, “So you’re telling the truth?” to which she responded, “Yes.”

Ruwaath has already pleaded not guilty last year to the charge of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.

In recounting the incident to the court, the alleged victim was asked to draw the setting of the time in question. She was also asked to draw the bedroom and the location of the people in the room—herself, Ruwaath, and her cousins at the time of the incident. The drawing was then put into evidence without opposition from the defense.

The minor also said that, as a result of the incident, her behavior changed. “I used to be happy and not always angry. …I’m more angry now,” she replied when asked how she feels since the incident.
After cross-examination by the defense, the alleged victim’s mother was the next to testify and was questioned by assistant attorney general Frances Depaman, who asked her how her daughter told her about the incident.

The minor’s mother said she felt a lot of emotions at the time—from disbelief to shock—and ended up in the hospital’s emergency room. The minor’s mother then reported the incident a few days later to the police after her daughter asked her if she was going to do so.

The minor’s mother said she noticed her daughter’s behavior change—she would bang her head on the wall, claw her arms with her nails, isolate herself, and not do things that she used to enjoy doing.

The minor’s mother said her daughter was also sexually abused at the age of 3. The charges against the perpetrator were dropped because he died before the case could be completed.

At a young age, the minor was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Her mother sought help and the minor was prescribed medication that helped her. However, after the incident, her mother sought a psychiatrist’s help when she noticed that her daughter’s behavior changed again.

When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom yesterday morning, the court was in recess. The next witness up is the minor’s pediatrician, Dr. Leticia Borja.

Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan is presiding over the case. The trial will continue this morning.

The trial first started on Monday morning with a trial selection and then opening statements by the prosecution and the defense. Only one witness, Department of Public Safety detective Shannon Dela Cruz, was called to testify.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, the court found probable cause last June 10, 2022, to charge Ruwaath based on the testimony of a DPS detective. Ruwaath pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja on June 13, 2022.

The complaint against Ruwaath stated that police received a walk-in complaint of a sexual abuse of a minor case last March 27, 2022.

During a forensic interview with the minor, the victim told authorities that the incident happened sometime in June 2020.

At a bail hearing last June 3, 2022, the court imposed a $20,000 cash bail on Ruwaath. He remains in the custody of the Department of Corrections.