Ex-girlfriend of accused pedophile Peter Scully arrested over child sex videos
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
The former partner of alleged child sex trafficker Peter Scully, accused of torturing children in the Philippines for “dark web” videos, has been arrested following a year-long investigation.
The Melbourne man allegedly filmed the despicable sex crimes, some committed against an 18-month-old baby, and sold the sex videos for up to $10,000 to European and American buyers.
The worst of the videos, dubbed Daisy's Destruction, allegedly showed an 18-month-old baby girl tied upside down by her feet, sexually assaulted and bashed by two of Scully's masked and naked Filipino girlfriends.
The content in the video is so horrific, top investigators in the Philippines were brought to tears.
Scully was arrested last year in the Philippine city of Malaybalay and has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and trafficking.
Liezyl Margallo, 23, a former prostitute, is expected to testify in court against the 52-year-old, who fled Australia in 2011 after being wanted for fraud and started a new life in the Philippines.
She was allowed to go free during Scully’s 2015 arrest because investigators including local police, and Australian Federal Police, did not have sufficient evidence against her, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
After more than 12 months of investigations, Margallo is now behind bars after evidence emerged revealing her as the masked and naked woman who appeared in the confronting video Daisy's Destruction.
Margallo faces multiple life sentences if convicted for the charges in which she is being accused, including human trafficking and child abuse.
"If I were to describe her, I would call her a savage girl for what she has done to the kids. I think that description fits her," lead investigator Dominador Cimafranca told reporters.
Prosecutor Ruby Malanog reportedly told the court last September in the city of Cagayan de Oro he cried while watching the video.
"It was hard to believe what I was seeing... that somebody could do those things to children."
According to court documents, Scully groomed his victims, luring them in and assuring their parents the girls would be fed and get a good education.
But according to two alleged victims, sisters Queenie and Daisy aged just nine and 12, Scully detained them with dog collars and forced them to perform sex acts on each other.
The duo managed to escape and alert authorities.
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There are also allegations police found an 11-year-old girl's remains buried under Scully's kitchen after his arrest.
It is believed that victim was also featured in at least one of Scully's alleged films, where she was sexually abused and strangled.
Two teenage girls were also allegedly found naked and chained in another apartment, rented by Scully.
According to reports, Scully allegedly used a lighter, hot wax, barbed wire and sex toys in a number of videos to torture the girls.
Two other girls were reportedly raped and forced to dig their own graves.
Scully’s alleged victims have reportedly been left traumatised from the ordeal, and Scully’s “not guilty” plea has forced at least 10 of them to go through the gruelling process of testifying in court.
Eight of the children are reportedly in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare.
Scully had the first of his 75 charges read to him in court in September last year but it is expected the trial could last years.
Chief prosecutor Jaime Umpa called for the death penalty to be reinstated for rapists and murderers, to allow Scully to be executed if found guilty. The push us is being backed by Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.
If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling: Adults Surviving Child Abuse: 1300 657 380 Survivors and Mates Support Network: 02 8355 3711 Bravehearts: 1800 272 831
Today's top news stories- January 30
