A 14-year-old boy has been caught moving around various barangays to go into people’s homes and steal their gadgets and other valuables.
He was caught red-handed
According to reports, the people in the nearby barangays have been complaining that a teenager had been going inside their homes to steal their gadgets.
The 14-year-old has also been seen on CCTV footage going into people’s homes and taking their things. For the longest time, he had managed to evade being caught, however this time, he was caught red-handed when he attempted to steal a cellphone inside someone’s home.
He does it because of his friends
According to one of his victims, who was a Kagawad in Barangay 72, she was surprised to see that the door to their home was open, so she immediately asked one of her children to check their things to see if anything was taken. According to her, 2 cellphones and a pair of glasses were taken by the suspect.
When they caught the thief, he admitted to stealing the cellphones and the pair of glasses.
According to the teen, he started stealing cellphones because of his friends. He added that he knows that even if he keeps stealing cellphones, he won’t be put in jail because he is a minor.
According to the officer of the women’s desk in the police station where he was taken to, it was not the first time that the teen has been taken to the station because of theft.
Should the age of criminal liability be lowered?
According to Republic Act 9344, the age of criminal liability in the Philippines is 15. This means that children who are aged 14 and younger can commit crimes without any charges filed against them.
The standard process that happens whenever a minor under the age of criminal liability gets caught doing a crime is that they’re usually turned over to the DSWD for rehabilitation. However, this isn’t always the case as most of the time, minors who get caught are usually returned to their parents.
This is also the reason why some people believe that the age of criminal liability should be lowered, as the current means of dealing with minors who commit crime is deemed as ineffective by a lot of people. However, studies have shown that children who are exposed to the penal system at a very young age are far more likely to commit crimes in the future, as if they get detained, they will be surrounded by other criminals during their formative years.
This is why it’s important for our lawmakers to conduct a thorough study regarding lowering the age of criminal liability, as it will surely have a significant impact on our society.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
READ: Caught on CCTV: Woman stealing a bag inside Shangri-la mall
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