A 36-year-old foreign national has been arrested by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) on suspicion of committing crimes of rape and child sexual abuse against his 12-year-old stepdaughter. The young victim confided the assaults to a school friend.
The young girl, also a foreign national, moved to Portugal approximately two years ago to live with her mother, subsequently residing with the suspect, according to a statement released Thursday.
The PJ detailed that since the girl’s arrival, her stepfather had begun sexually abusing her and had even used physical force to carry out his intentions.
The girl eventually confided in a school friend, who encouraged her to report the incidents to her mother. Her mother promptly filed a complaint with the Polícia de Segurança Pública.
The authorities disclosed that the suspect was apprehended on the same day the complaint was made and is set to appear for a preliminary judicial hearing at the Tribunal de Loures, where measures of restraint will be determined.
