A 28-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, October 12, in Braga, on suspicion of sexually abusing his girlfriend’s underage daughter.
In a statement sent on Tuesday, October 14, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) reveals that the alleged abuses, described as “significant sexual acts,” began earlier this year in Arganil, Coimbra district, when the suspect started living with his girlfriend and the victim, who was only 11 years old at the time.
The abuses, which reportedly continued until September, were reported by a relative of the girl, who filed a complaint with the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), prompting them to alert the PJ.
According to the inspectors, the woman, whose exact relation to the girl is not disclosed, discovered the minor was being sexually abused by the suspect during a family trip to the city of Braga.
With “substantial evidence collected,” the need to protect the victim, and the “strong possibility” that the suspect might flee the country, the PJ decided to arrest him “outside of a crime in progress.”
The man, who is a foreign national, will appear today for a preliminary judicial hearing to determine appropriate preventive measures.
