The first court session is taking place at the Sintra Court, where nine charges are at issue: one of sexual harassment, one of sexual coercion, one of rape, one of aggravated kidnapping, two aggravated threats, one of aggravated coercion, one of simple bodily harm, and one of insult.
The indictment was filed at the end of January this year, and in early September, Carloto Cotta’s defense filed a criminal complaint for malicious accusation, defamation, and false testimony against the woman whose complaint led to the trial starting this Thursday, and against unknown individuals for two anonymous complaints received by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR).
An investigation was launched by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP). The criminal complaint argues that the alleged victim’s statements are not only false but inconsistent and highlights the negative impact her allegations have had on the actor’s personal and professional life.
Contacted for comment, Carloto Cotta’s lawyer declined to speak on the case. “Let the authorities do their work, and I urge everyone not to jump to conclusions, not to make comments, and not to cancel or condemn based on a complaint that is false and not credible, in a case with highly questionable investigation details,” said attorney Rui Patrício.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) outlines in its accusation that the events transpired in 2023, involving a woman whom the actor had met months earlier.
The MP asserts that Carloto Cotta confined the woman in his home for several hours, depriving her of “freedom of movement and decision,” allegedly using “physical force” to compel her into non-consensual sexual acts and further “acting with purposes that resulted in harming the victim’s body and health.”
The seven-page accusation describes an instance where the woman allegedly attempted to escape from Carloto Cotta’s residence by jumping out a window to seek help from bystanders, during which she sustained “a head hematoma, bruising, and scratches on her right forearm.”
Following the filing of the MP’s accusation, the actor’s defense contested, which was covered by Expresso and later reviewed by Lusa. Their stance challenges the woman’s account, providing a photograph of her sitting on the actor’s patio the day after the events alleged in the accusation.
The defense has requested the alleged victim to testify in court, claiming at least four inconsistent versions of the events contradict her initial statements intended for prosecution. However, the court has not yet approved this request.
Carloto Cotta, born in France in 1984, studied at the Escola Profissional de Teatro de Cascais and has mainly worked in film and television. He starred in films like “Arena” (2009) by João Salaviza, “Diamantino” (2018) by Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt, and “Banzo” (2024) by Margarida Cardoso.
His television work includes films directed by Miguel Gomes, Margarida Gil, and Diogo Costa Amarante, soap operas such as “Santa Bárbara,” “A impostora,” “Laços de Sangue,” and series “O Americano” and “Casa Abrigo,” the latter set to premiere on October 27 on RTP.
