On Monday, the Judiciary Police announced the arrest of a 31-year-old man “strongly suspected of committing several aggravated child sexual abuse crimes” since 2022, with the victim being his stepdaughter.
The police indicated that these incidents took place within the family home, “in a seemingly structured family unit, which includes other minors, among whom is an infant.”
The Judiciary Police further revealed that after a school awareness campaign aimed at preventing sexual abuse, the minor reported to her teacher that since the age of six, she had been a victim of sexual abuse by her stepfather. The school then contacted the Public Security Police (PSP), which activated the Judiciary Police, as the crime falls under their jurisdiction.
The Judiciary Police promptly sent a team to the location and conducted “urgent and necessary investigative procedures,” leading to the suspect’s arrest in under 24 hours.
In a statement released today, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that the investigation, which is under judicial secrecy, is being led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Integrated Domestic Violence Specialized Section (SEIVD) of Sintra, part of the Regional Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Lisbon, with the Judiciary Police’s assistance.
