Hi Gang,<br /><br />I&#39;m at work today - just finished an interview...haven&#39;t heard the outcome of my recent trial but this was just in the newspapers about another of my cases. <br /><br />Man sentenced to 18 years for molesting his daughter<br />Brent Begin, The Examiner<br /><br />2008-02-22 11:00:00.0<br /><br />SAN FRANCISCO - <br /><br />A sexual predator who avoided prosecution for more than a year, perhaps by hiding in his native Philippines, was sentenced to 18 years in prison Thursday for sexually abusing his daughter.<br /><br />At one point, Eduardo Naval was considered one of San Francisco?s 10 most wanted fugitives, prompting a manhunt by the U.S. Marshals Service. In April 2004, he disappeared after his daughter, then 13-years-old, told her mother she was the victim of more than five years of molestation. <br /><br />Naval, 50, threatened to kill the family after the girl&#39;s mother confronted him about the sexual assaults, authorities said. When the mother locked the girl and her younger brother inside a closet, Naval allegedly used a hammer to break open the door, stopping the onslaught only when he heard the approach of sirens.<br /><br />Though authorities suspect Naval was hiding for more than a year in his native Philippines, U.S. Marshals eventually arrested him at a residence on Mission Circle in Daly City on Nov. 28, 2005.<br /><br />He was convicted in October after a five-week trial in which the jury deliberated for three days. Naval had no criminal record at the time of the molestation.<br /><br />District Attorney Kamala Harris said the sentence helps send a loud signal that authorities will aggressively prosecute sexual assaults. Naval?s sentence was a couple of years short of the maximum sentence, and he will eventually be eligible for parole.<br /><br />Harris highlighted the case Thursday because of what she called a huge problem in reporting sexual assault cases, especially when a minor is required to take the stand. Oftentimes, she said, victims feel they put themselves at risk by reporting a sex crime without any confidence that the suspect will be prosecuted.<br /><br />&quot;It happens far more frequently than it&#39;s reported,&quot; Harris said. &quot;Often because victims believe nothing will happen if they report.&quot;<br /><br />bbegin@examiner.com<br /><br />Examiner <br /><br /><br />