An Australian child sex offender was sentenced to 129 years – his second conviction – for various crimes committed against his victims in the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro.
Peter Gerard Scully, along with four Filipinos, was involved in qualified trafficking in persons, syndicated child pornography, child abuse, rape, and photo and video voyeurism.
They were also found to have victimized seven female children as young as 18 months, with most of the incidents occurring in the cities of Surigao, Malaybalay, and Cagayan de Oro in 2012.
The sentencing stemmed from Scully and his three co-accused’s decision to enter into a plea bargaining agreement, said prosecutor Merlynn Barola-Uy.
Scully’s co-accused were identified as his girlfriend, Lovely Margallo; Alexander Lao, a taxi driver; and a certain Maria Dorothea Chia.
Barola-Uy said the four admitted to having committed 60 cases of attempted trafficking in persons, child abuse, and sexual assault.
She said Lao was included in the case due to his role as the driver for Scully and was charged with trafficking.
Like Scully, Margallo will also be serving a longer prison time, as she was sentenced with 126 years.
“After five years of prosecuting the cases, finally, the accused have decided to enter into a plea bargaining agreement,” said Barola-Uy said.
“They pleaded guilty to the charges so they can be given shorter sentences,” she said.
The victims and their families have witnessed the court proceedings at the Regional Trial Court Branch 37, presided by Judge Ali Lloren, leading to the plea bargaining agreement via online on Oct. 25, 2022 and Nov. 3, 2022.
Barola-Uy said it was decided by the court early on that the charges Scully and his co-accused were facing be divided into two batches, with the second batch consisting of 60 cases, including the death of a child who was buried in the kitchen of the house Scully was living in in Surigao City.
It can be recalled that in 2018, Scully was convicted to life imprisonment, along with his previous live-in partner Carme Ann Alvarez, for the first batch of cases mainly on qualified trafficking in persons and five counts of rape by sexual assault.
Scully and Alvarez are both serving their respective sentences at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Panabo City, Davao del Norte for the first batch of cases.
