The Supreme Court (SC) sentenced a police officer to two years, four months and one day in jail for committing psychological violence against his then-pregnant girlfriend by withdrawing their application for a marriage license.

In a 29 July 2026 decision penned by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the SC First Division denied the officer’s petition, finding no error in the Court of Appeals’ ruling upholding his conviction under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9262).

The court said RA 9262 covers the mental and emotional toll of an offender’s acts on a woman with whom he has a sexual or dating relationship.

“Since AAA was pregnant and the withdrawal of the marriage application was done ‘arbitrarily’ and ‘publicly’ at the LCR, the act transcends simple heartbreak and enters the realm of ‘psychological violence,’” the SC said.

The victim, a teacher, filed the case after discovering that the officer had secretly withdrawn their joint marriage license application. The Local Civil Registrar (LCR) later confirmed the withdrawal.

The officer argued that a breach of promise to marry was not an actionable wrong and that he had merely withdrawn his birth certificate from the registrar.

The SC rejected his arguments, saying the conviction did not improperly expand RA 9262.