FORMER actor Dennis Da Silva was sentenced to reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment after the Regional Trial Court of Pasig City found him guilty of 15 counts of rape.
Dennis, who is a former member of the ‘80s variety show “That’s Entertainment,” was arrested in 2002 for raping the then-14-year-old child of his previous live-in partner.
Aside from being sentenced to life imprisonment, Dennis was also sentenced with four to six-year prison sentences for four counts of child abuse. As for the civil liability, he was ordered to pay the victim P100,000 for civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages or P300,000 for every count of rape, amounting to a total of P4.5 million.
He was also asked to pay P380,000 or P95,000 each for the four counts of child abuse.
Dennis, 47, has been in jail for 17 years now. Although he could apply for conditional pardon and commutation or good conduct time allowance, he first needed to pay all the damages.
Dennis was given 15 days to appeal the court’s decision.
Following his “That’s Entertainment” stint, Dennis was cast in several films, including “Ninja Kids,” “Captain Barbell,” “Love Boat: Mahal Kita,” “Sheman: Mistress of the Universe,” and “Underage Too.”
His fame grew after being linked to actress and former co-star Ruffa Gutierrez. However, it wasn’t too long before his career sank after he became involved in drugs. (Push)
