Photo credit: Sandro Muhlach

One of the two cases filed against independent contractors Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz has been dismissed by the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 46. The case, which involved allegations of acts of lasciviousness against actor Sandro Muhlach, was deemed unnecessary in light of the existing rape case pending before the Regional Trial Court (RTC).

In its ruling, the court pointed out that the prosecution seemed to have gone overboard by filing separate charges for acts of lasciviousness when these were already covered by the rape case. The decision stated, "The acts being complained of are necessarily included in the charge of rape before the RTC. The prosecution resorted to overkill by filing these separate Informations when clearly, the acts are simultaneous and absorbed in the rape case, with the alleged sole intent and purpose of arousing and ultimately gratifying the accused's own sexual desires."

With this development, only the rape case against Nones and Cruz remains pending before the RTC.