Man gets life for kidnapping student

MANILA, Philippines — A Mandaluyong City court has sentenced to life in prison a 76-year-old man for kidnapping an 11-year-old student of a private school and his driver two years ago.

Judge Juliet San Gaspar of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 79 found Rafael de Jesus guilty of kidnapping for ransom.

In a decision dated July 15, the court ordered De Jesus to pay the victims P300,000 in moral and civil damages.

De Jesus and a group of men kidnapped the boy, a student of De La Salle Greenhills, on Oct. 26, 2017.

The boy and his driver were kidnapped inside the school premises.

The kidnappers demanded P30 million, which was lowered to P945,000 after negotiations.

Unknown to De Jesus, the boy’s parents sought the help of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Kidnapping Group, which conducted an entrapment operation.

The victims were rescued and De Jesus was arrested during the agreed meeting place for the payoff somewhere in Quezon City.

The PNP said it has yet to receive an update on the status of the two other kidnappers Hilario Guerrero and Sonny Tamayo.