Philstar
Baguio priest gets life term for rape of teen
A Roman Catholic priest in Baguio City, Father Mark Batolne, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted on three counts of rape.
The Baguio City Regional Trial Court found Batolne guilty of raping a 16-year-old student scholar in March 2023.
The court ordered Batolne's transfer to the national penitentiary and mandated him to pay the victim damages per count.
The assaults were aggravated by the use of a deadly weapon and occurred within the diocese's compound.
Batolne pleaded not guilty and presented an alibi, but the court found the victim's testimony credible and consistent.
He went into hiding after the victim reported the assaults and surrendered in June 2024.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
