A judicial source indicated that the suspect will appear for a preliminary judicial hearing on Thursday.
In a statement, the Madeira Regional Command of the PSP reported that the man, aged 35, originally from and residing in Machico, was detained at 6:00 PM on Tuesday following the issuance of a “warrant outside of flagrante delicto by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action — Madeira District Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
According to the PSP, the man was identified in the early hours of Monday after the police were contacted by the 34-year-old victim through the emergency number 112, and the case was forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The images of the assault, which occurred in the presence of the victim’s and the assailant’s 9-year-old son, were captured by surveillance cameras in the victim’s home and widely disseminated on social media.
The detainee, a firefighter in Machico, remains in custody at the PSP holding cells, awaiting his presentation for the preliminary judicial hearing.
A source from the Madeira District Court stated that the hearing is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Thursday.
On Monday, the Regional Secretary for Inclusion, Youth, and Labor, Paula Margarido, expressed in a statement that she was “deeply shocked” by the assaults and assured that she was monitoring the case and taking “all necessary steps to ensure the protection and support of the victim and their family.”
Additionally, the Machico Municipal Fire Brigade Command expressed “profound consternation” through a social media post regarding the news involving a member of their unit, labeling it as a “completely reprehensible act.”
The firefighters declared themselves “totally against any form of violence” and hope “the case will be dealt with by the appropriate responsible entities, urging justice to be served.”
“The legal services are already taking the necessary procedures,” they added in the same publication.
