The ruling, dated July 11 and reviewed today, partially upheld the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s charges.
The most severe sentences were given to two men, aged 29 and 43, who are in pre-trial detention.
These defendants received a single cumulative sentence of 10 and a half years each for both aggravated robbery and kidnapping, and for 14 crimes of misuse of a bank card or card data, eight of which were attempted.
A 44-year-old woman, partner of one of the defendants, was acquitted of robbery and kidnapping, but sentenced to five years for 12 crimes of misuse of a bank card or card data, eight of which were attempted.
For her, the panel of judges decided to suspend the execution of the sentence for the same period. The court also ordered the termination of pre-trial detention and the immediate release of the defendant.
Another woman, only charged with the bank card use, was acquitted of all crimes.
In addition to the prison sentence, the defendants were ordered to compensate the victim with more than 11,000 euros.
The trial was held behind closed doors, without the presence of the public or journalists, due to the victim’s vulnerability and the violence of the acts.
The incident dates back to July 1, 2024, when the group decided to rob a 78-year-old woman living alone in an isolated house in Anadia, stealing 200 euros in cash, a pack of tobacco, and a bank card used for withdrawals and purchases totaling more than 1,600 euros.
The prosecution noted that further attempts to use the elderly woman’s card were unsuccessful as the victim canceled it.
One defendant was arrested by the Judiciary Police about two weeks after the crime, with the remaining three arrested a month later in Montijo, Setúbal.
At the time of arrest, the Judiciary Police noted that two of the detainees had extensive criminal records for similar crimes, having served prison sentences.
The case involves a fifth suspect, accused of assaulting the elderly woman while accomplices used her card, currently a fugitive with a European arrest warrant, leading to separation of proceedings.
