15 Sep DOJ Filed Criminal Charges Against Suspects behind the “Destruction of Daisy” Sex Video
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has authorized the filing of criminal charges against an Australian and his colleagues who were behind the “Destruction of Daisy,” a sex and physical abuse video of children as young as one year old.
Assistant State Prosecutor Jinky Dedumo prepared the 151-page resolution and was approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano. In the resolution, it states that there is a probable cause to sue Peter Gerard Scully, his live-in partner Liezyl Margallo, German national Christian Johann Rothe, Alexander Lao, Ma. Dorothea V. Chia, Haniel Caetano De Oliveira and Marshal Ruskin.
The suspects will be facing eight counts of qualified trafficking in persons committed by a syndicate, five counts of syndicated child pornography, nine counts of child abuse, five counts of indecent shows, obscene exhibitions and publications, four counts of child pornography under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, 25 counts of photo and video voyeurism and 13 counts of rape.
The death of a 12-year old victim buried in the syndicate’s kitchen in Surigao City has been absorbed in the murder case in qualified trafficking in persons.
In the DOJ resolution it states, “[T]here exists probable cause to charge respondents Scully and Margallo, in conspiracy with each other and confederating with other cohorts… Scully and Margallo groomed the minor children by making them watch sex videos and photographs through the house computers to prepare them for sexual activity… thereby subjecting the said minor children to conditions prejudicial to their growth and development.”
Added in the resolution, “Worse, said minor victims were not only sexually abused but were also maltreated or physically abused and tortured. A clear form of child abuse and exploitation!”
The lawsuit is about the sexual and physical abuse of eight young Filipinas ages 1 to 13, recorded using a digital camera and were uploaded on a porn website. Most victims are from Mindanao, particularly in Cagayan de Oro City. These abuses started last April 2011 until September 2014 as the syndicates were arrested.
The complaint read, “Apparently, [these videos] have been known to the international law enforcement community for quite some time. Inquiries… to foreign law enforcement officers revealed that the said [videos] contained serious sexual abuses and physical torture on children believed to be from the Philippines by an unidentified Asian-looking woman and her unidentified male Caucasian accomplice.”
The investigation was conducted by the NBI-Anti-Human Trafficking Division and the DOJ Office of the Cybercrime (DOJ-OCC). Foreign law enforcement counterparts reported a Philippine contingent of a so-called “Daisy Video Case” during an Interpol Human Trafficking Conference in Bermuda in October 2014.
The investigation of the “Daisy Video Case” was conducted by the Philippine authorities and were assisted by the police from the Netherlands. The cops of Netherlands had an earlier investigation then immediately prepared a case file containing images of the victims, the male and female suspects and the house where the abuses happen.
Two Filipino girls age 9 to 12, victims of sexual and physical abuse, had managed to escape and reported to their parents. The Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 37 issued a warrant of arrest against Scully as the victims charged a case, this helped the Philippine authorities to fast-track the suspects.
Based on the information provided by Margallo, Scully was arrested last Feb. 20 at Purok 2, Barangay Violeta, Malaybalay.
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