A Philippine court found one of four US Marines guilty of raping a Filipino woman inside a van at a former US navy base last year, sentencing the 21-year-old sailor to life in prison for "bestial acts".
The three other Marines were acquitted on Monday after a seven-month trial, which had prompted small protests against US-Philippine military ties and intense local media interest.
The Philippine government hailed the result but said the verdict would do nothing to harm close relations with the United States, which provides funding, equipment and training to Filipino troops fighting Muslim and communist rebel groups. "The court is morally convinced that Lance Corporal Daniel Smith committed the crime charged," a clerk said, reading the decision of Judge Benjamin Pozon to a hushed, packed courtroom.
The verdict, which included an order for Smith to pay 100,000 pesos ($2,000) in damages to the victim and her family, will automatically go to a higher court for review.
Less than two hours after the ruling, a US navy plane whisked the three acquitted Marines out of the Philippines to rejoin their unit in Okinawa, Japan. "This has been a difficult and emotional matter for all involved, and for their families and friends," the US embassy, which had kept custody of the four Marines during the case, said in a statement.
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