Deniece Cornejo New Rape Claim: Lawyer Lorna Kapunan Has Doubts

Deniece Cornejo New Rape Claim: Lawyer Lorna Kapunan Has Doubts
Zachary Stieber
2/24/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

Filipino lawyer Lorna Kapunan has doubts about Deniece Millet Cornejo’s new claim that Vhong Navarro raped her not once but twice.

Cornejo now claims that Navarro sexually assaulted her on January 22, which sparked a nationwide controversy over whether the claim is true or not, but also raped her on January 17.

That night, the night of their first date, Navarro says Cornejo gave him oral sex. Originally, Cornejo denied anything ever happened.

But now Cornejo says that she was forced to reveal what supposedly really happened on that night, which was rape. 

Cornejo said that she was crying and trying to stop the actor and ABS-CBN host but that he wouldn’t stop. Eventually he did, and left the apartment.

But Kapunan told ABS-CBN that the new claim is sketchy.

“The circumstance that puts the credence to question is kung na-rape ka, bakit mo iimbitahin uli? That’s my personal and legal opinion,” she said in an interview on “Aquino & Abunda Tonight.”

She wondered why Cornejo would have invited Navarro to her apartment if the rape actually did happen on January 17.

She also questioned how the story was changed.

“Ang problema, you cannot change theory midway. Kasi ang first na sinabi nila is attempted rape… naging consummated rape. Noong nagkaroon na sila ng abogado, si Atty. Howie [Calleja], nag-iba na sila ng theory that there was consummated rape on the on the first day, January 17,” she said.

Howard Calleja, Cornejo’s attorney, said that Cornejo didn’t deny the alleged rape but just kept quiet about it, and that “leeway and understanding” must be given to Cornejo.

On the other hand, he previously told ANC that “nothing happened” on January 17 between his client and Navarro.

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