@Barrister, in your opinion what Case should the prosecution have filed against Cedric and company? Illegal Detention, Unlawful Arrest, Grave Coercion, Abduction?
In my opinion, Serious Illegal Detention is the correct charge.
Abduction is not applicable. As for the other charges, the only non-bailable offense is Serious Illegal Detention.
The practice is to charge the respondent with the most serious offense that will stick. In this case, that's Serious Illegal Detention.
You're thinking that if the accused are acquitted of the more serious charge, they can no longer be convicted of the lesser offense?
No, that's not correct. Even if they are acquitted of the more serious charge, they can still be convicted of the lesser offense, as long as the lesser offense is necessarily included in the more serious charge.
11:00PM(22Jan14) Vhong said he went to the residence of Deniece at Forbeswood.
11:13PM(22Jan14) Cedric was seen on CCTV leaving Forbeswood.
2:28AM(23Jan14) Cedric was seen on CCTV returning to Forbeswood.
2:30AM(23Jan14) Vhong was already at the Hospital
Based on this timeline(13-minutes), the Prosecution wanted the accused to be charge Guilty of Serious Illegal detention.
The judge cited the timeline to distinguish Serious Illegal Detention from Unlawful Arrest. If turn-over to the police was immediate, the crime is Unlawful Arrest. Otherwise, it's Serious Illegal Detention. According to the judge, since turn-over was immediate, no Serious Ilegal Detention was committed.
But in my opinion, there was no turn-over at all. Remember, they delivered Vhong to the Police station, but when they got there, Deniece, Cedric and the others made it clear that none of them wanted to press charges against Vhong. But they did want Vhong to sign a statement in the blotter that: (a) he admits attempting to rape Deniece, and (b) he will not press charges against those who beat him up.
Obviously, the only purpose of delivering Vhong to the police station was simply to obtain a record that absolves the offenders of any wrongdoing.
The objective was not to turn over Vhong to the police. Labo naman non. Wala naman palang gustong magreklamo, at wala rin palang gustong ipakulong si Vhong, ba't dinala pa sa pulis?
Bakit nga ba ipapakulong si Vhong, e paanong makakasingil si Cedric kung nakakulong yon?