Image courtesy of www.abs-cbnnews.com
Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
Model Deniece Cornejo is claiming that TV host and actor Vhong Navarro raped her not just once, but twice.
In a counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice prosecution panel, Cornejo said Navarro first sexually assaulted her when they were together in her Forbeswood Heights condo unit on January 17.
She said Navarro was aggressive.
"He lunged at me and managed to raise my shirt exposing my breasts, and he started touching my private parts," her counter-affidavit said.
Cornejo said she struggled but failed to stop Navarro.
"As I was struggling to stop his advances, he managed to force his penis into my mouth. I tried my best to free myself from his clutches to no avail," she said.
"He then removed his pants and inserted his penis inside my vagina. I was pleading 'No,' struggling and crying, begging him to stop and pushing him as best as I could," she said. "Eventually he stopped and left my unit."
She said businessman Cedric Lee offered to help her report the incident to authorities. "Cedric offered to help me to report what happened but I still didn't feel very well."
Her lawyer, Atty. Howard Calleja, explained why it was only now that Cornejo revealed the alleged incident.
He said their camp didn't deny that the alleged rape happened but was just "quiet" about it.
Calleja said "leeway and understanding" must be given to Cornejo.
However, he earlier told ANC Headstart in an interview that nothing happened between Cornejo and Navarro on January 17.
He denied Navarro's statement that the actor and Cornejo had oral sex, five days before he was mauled.
"That is not true, even if pinagmamalaking may nangyari si Vhong," Calleja, said. "Baka to him, in his mind, gusto niyang may mangyari. But really, nothing happened."
In his sworn affidavit submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Navarro said he and Cornejo met in her condominium unit in Forbeswood Heights, Taguig on January 17.
"After consuming one bottle of white wine, they made out and it led to oral sex where Cornejo repeatedly inserted her mouth the private part of [Navarro]," the actor's sworn statement read.
According to the same affidavit, Navarro met Cornejo at a shoe store two years ago and "developed a friendship" through Facebook. After some time of not communicating, Navarro said he and Cornejo got in touch again through the same website and the mobile app Viber two months ago. This, according to the actor, eventually led to their "personal meet-up" on the 17th.
Referring to Navarro's account of the meeting, Calleja said, "We talked about that, and Deniece said talagang walang nangyari noong time na 'yon."
Cornejo, in her first complaint-affidavit in the rape case she filed against Navarro, claimed that the actor forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to insert his penis in her vagina on January 22, the night the group of businessman Cedric Lee allegedly came to her rescue.
Navarro denied attempting to rape Cornejo and claimed that he was a victim of extortion. He said he was blindfolded and tied up before being attacked by at least six men, including Lee.
The actor has since filed six criminal charges against Lee, Cornejo and six others: serious physical injuries, grave threat, grave coercion, unlawful arrest, blackmail, and serious illegal detention, which is a non-bailable offense.
Cedric: Vhong continuously begged
Lee, in his counter-affidavit, insisted that he only helped Cornejo.
"Vhong was repeatedly telling us that he was very sorry for what he had done to Deniece , and immediately offered to pay for all the damage caused to Deniece's unit. He continuously begged that this matter be not brought to the attention of the media," he said.
"It was also at the police station when Vhong alternately pleaded not to release the matter to he media and offered the amount of Php 200,000, which escalated to Php 500,000 and eventually reached the amount of Php1,000,000.00. Again, Vhong made this offer in the presence of the policemen," he added.
'RELEASE FULL CCTV FOOTAGE'
Calleja, meanwhile, said the full copy of the CCTV footage taken from the condo should be released.
He claimed that the NBI released edited footage.
Calleja, citing unspecified Supreme Court rulings, also claimed that rape can happen in one minute.
Navarro's camp, on the other hand, is wondering why Cornejo only said now that she was raped twice by Navarro.
Atty. Alma Mallonga, Navarro's lawyer, said Cornejo's counter-affidavit favors the actor's defense because it shows inconsistencies in her statements.
She said it could be "fatal" to Cornejo's camp.
Mallonga said they see no problem with the full CCTV footage of the condo being released by the NBI.