Actor Baron Geisler receives jail sentence

MANILA, Philippines – Actor Baron Geisler was found guilty of an act of lasciviousness charge on Monday, July 1, according to a report by Inquirer.

The decision was carried out by Presiding Judge Barbara Aleli Briones of Makati Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 61, who sentenced Geisler to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of over two years in prison.

He was also ordered to pay a sum of P30,000 to the complainant Patrizha Martinez for moral damages.

The case was first filed in 2008 by Patrizha Martinez, daughter of celebrities William Martinez and Yayo Aguila, who accused Geisler of groping her breasts during a party at Fiamma, a bar in Makati. The complainant was 21 at the time.

Martinez’ counsel Salvador Panelo told the media his client was very pleased with the decision.

Carlo Alentajan, Geisler’s lawyer, however, clarified that the court’s ruling has yet to be finalized.

“We’re only in round one. We are planning to file an appeal at the Regional Trial Court,” he explained.

In 2009, actress Yasmien Kurdi charged Geisler for acts of lasciviousness and unjust vexation, which she withdrew in 2011 after the actor issued an apology. In 2011, Cherry Pie Picache also accused the actor of harassment during a taping for the ABS-CBN TV series “Noah,” which prompted the Professional Artist Management, Inc. (PAMI) to issue an “artist ban” against him until he was fully rehabilitated.

Geisler found an early start in showbiz as a child actor in gag show “Ang TV.” One of his latest projects is the TV5 fantasy show “Kidlat,” which also stars Derek Ramsay.

Despite his past controversies, the actor expressed his plans to clean up his act after he received his second Cinemalaya Best Actor awards for film “Donor” (2010). He first won Cinemalaya Best Actor in 2008 for “Jay,”  where he played a gay journalist.

Watch the trailer for ‘Jay,’ here:

– Rappler.com