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US Marines face DNA testing over alleged Philippine rape
Manila (AFP) Jul 25, 2006 Four US Marines accused of raping a Philippine woman will have to give DNA samples if requested, a court said Tuesday in a potentially critical ruling. The court denied the motion of the main accused, Corporal Daniel Smith, refusing to submit blood samples for DNA testing. The alleged rape of a 22-year-old woman has outraged public opinion here, triggering anti-US street protests. Judge Benjamin Pozon ruled that taking blood samples would not violate the right against self-incrimination, ruling that Smith and possibly his co-accused, Lance Corporals Dominic Duplantis and Keith Silkwood and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier, could be compelled to give blood samples. A forensic expert earlier said that male and female DNA had been found on the underwear of the woman. The prosecution has said DNA testing is crucial in proving the attack, alleged to have taken place last November at the former US Subic naval base after the accused completed military exercises with Philippine forces. The Americans however say they are innocent and that the woman and Smith had consensual sex after meeting in a nightclub. Smith's lawyer Benjamin Formoso said he would appeal the DNA decision to a higher court, charging that "the drawing of blood samples is without any basis." At the hearing, a medical technologist also testified that the woman appeared to be drunk before the alleged rape, bolstering the prosecution's argument that the Americans had taken advantage of her. The case is being closely watched in this former American colony, and has led to calls that Manila revoke a treaty that gives the US jurisdiction over its troops who commit crimes here while on duty. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Nuclear Space Technology at Space-Travel.com
UN official accuses Israel of excessive force in Gaza
Nusseirat, Gaza Strip (AFP) Jul 25, 2006 UN humanitarian coordinator Jan Egeland on Tuesday blasted Israel's air strike last month on the sole power plant in the impoverished Gaza Strip as a "clear" example of disproportionate use of force. |
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