Man gets 30-month jail term

A 25-year-old man who had pleaded guilty to child abuse, assault and battery, and burglary charges before the Superior Court was yesterday sentenced to five years imprisonment, all but 30 months suspended.

Based on a plea agreement entered between the defense and prosecution panels, the court upheld defendant Peter A. Manibusan’s two-and-a-half-year jail term without possibility of parole.

Mr. Manibusan, seizing his last chance to address the court yesterday, openly expressed apologies to the people he hurt through his criminal acts.

“I am very sorry,” the defendant, in a low tone, told the court.

Associate Judge Timothy Bellas, however, warned the defendant the judicial system will not offer him any mercy in the future should he be caught in another serious illegal fix.

To complete the sentence, the judge ordered that the defendant pay all probation assessment fees, court costs, and restitution to all victims.

He has also been directed to obey all Commonwealth and federal laws.

After yesterday’s sentencing, Mr. Manibusan has been placed under supervised probation by the Office of Probation for a period of 30 months subsequent to his release from custody.

Three separate criminal cases were previously lodged against the defendant, including three counts of burglary, three counts of theft, four counts of sexual abuse of a child, two counts of assault and battery, and one count of burglary.

Pleading guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of sexual abuse, and one count of assault and battery, all other charges were dismissed against Mr. Manibusan, without prejudice.

The government lodged criminal suits against the defendant stemming from separate incidents on Rota last August 1999 when he unlawfully entered and stole various items from the Coconut Village Hotel and Donny’s Shop-n-Go on Rota.

Mr. Manibusan reportedly stole from the hotel $30 in cash, a cash register, a home stereo speaker, two cases of soft drinks and one case of beer.

He also took from the shopping establishment various canned goods, cigarettes, rice, lotion, beetle nut, hair gel and liquor.

In the Summer of 1998, Mr. Manibusan was also accused of sexually abusing a nine-year-old child and beating another lady in December of 1999.