MANILA - The Supreme Court (SC) has absolved a dead man of raping his own granddaughter and daughter-in-law more than two decades ago.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, the Court's Second Division reversed a lower court's decision finding accused Pedro Calangi guilty of rape.

The SC decision said the prosecution failed to prove Calangi's guilty.

"As its witnesses' contradictory and confounding statements on important material details erode the integrity of their testimonies, the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt appellant's guilt," the Second Division's ruling said.

Calangi of Quezon province was charged with rape based on the complaint filed by his granddaughter and daughter-in-law.

The daughter-in-law claimed Calangi raped her sometime in July 1986 inside her home while her husband, the suspect's son, was away. She claimed Calangi raped her twice with a gun pointed at her.

The daughter-in-law found out later that her 15-year-old pregnant daughter was also raped twice by the suspect. The baby was given up by the suspect's granddaughter for adoption with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The lower court gave weight to the testimonies of the complainants and found Calangi of rape and sentenced him to death and life imprisonment.

Calangi brought the case to the Court of Appeals, which reduced his sentence to life imprisonment for each rape incident.

The accused decided to elevate the case to the SC.

He died at the hospital in the National Bilibid Prisons compound in Muntinlupa City while the case was pending at the SC.

Despite the petitioners' demise, the SC decided to review his case to give Calangi a chance to vindicate his name. -- report from Timi Nubla, ABS-CBN News