A 42-year-old retired man has been convicted of aggravated rape and simple bodily harm, and must compensate the victim with 20,000 euros.
In the ruling, the presiding judge stated that the prosecution’s charges were deemed “proven and upheld,” despite the defendant’s denial. The collective court believed the victim’s account, which was supported by produced evidence, both expert and testimonial.
During the reading of the verdict, the man, currently under house arrest with electronic monitoring, protested, saying “but I didn’t do it” and “I didn’t harm anyone.” The judge emphasized that any doubt from the three-judge panel would have resulted in acquittal.
The incident dates back to September last year when the victim left work around midnight, where the defendant had been present.
As the woman was taking out the trash, she noticed the man in his car in the parking lot and felt frightened, so she asked three customers to stay while she closed the café.
According to the ruling, a car left the parking lot, and the customers, believing it was the defendant, also left, leaving the victim alone.
The woman noticed the man had parked his car next to her vehicle and was scared, waiting to see if he would leave, which he did not. She then placed an empty glass bottle in her bag in case she needed to defend herself.
After opening her car door, the man pushed and raped her, despite her pleas for him to stop.
The court found that the defendant extinguished a lit cigarette on the woman’s leg, causing a second-degree burn.
The victim, who testified for future reference, managed to grab the glass bottle and struck the man on the head, causing him to fall, at which point she escaped.
The court concluded that the defendant was aware he was violating the victim’s sexual freedom and aimed to “satisfy his sexual instincts and lascivious passions.”
During the trial, the defendant denied “all the events,” alleging the victim fabricated the story for financial gain. However, his statements were deemed not credible as they were inconsistent with the rest of the evidence.
The defendant, with no prior criminal record, was arrested in October 2024 by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ).
The PJ stated in a communiqué that the victim, aged 22 at the time, was surprised by the attacker in public when she was about to enter her vehicle.
According to the statement, the assailant forced the woman into “a substantial sexual act” and injured “one of her lower limbs.”
