The young woman who was sentenced last February to 25 years in prison in the Azores for 51 counts of aggravated sexual assault against a minor, among other crimes, has had her sentence reduced by the Supreme Court of Justice to eight years.
The decision was reached recently following an appeal by the defense against the maximum sentence handed down by the Court of Angra do Heroísmo.
The Supreme Court deemed the original sentence “manifestly excessive.”
The victim’s mother expressed her shock at the sentence reduction, stating she is selling everything to leave the Azorean city with her daughter. Emotionally, she said, “I have my daughter today, but I don’t know if I will have her tomorrow. I stopped working, I stopped doing everything to support my daughter,” adding that “the state doesn’t care” and provides no support to the victim, who has made multiple attempts on her life.
She criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to sentence the perpetrator to only eight years, noting the predator tried to sell, beat, and drug her daughter, leaving the minor with a “brutal revolt” and no will to live. The emotional and psychological damage has been substantial, stripping the victim of her adolescence and causing severe depression.
In February, the attacker was initially given the maximum sentence for 51 counts of aggravated rape of a minor, alongside charges of sexual harassment and threatening three minors.
The crimes occurred between September 13, 2022, and early February 2023, in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island in the Azores.
The accused has also been sentenced to additional penalties, including a 20-year prohibition from being in positions of trust over minors, such as adoption, guardianship, or any professional activities involving regular contact with children. She must also pay damages to the victims.
As a result of the crimes, two of the victims have been “deeply disturbed and affected,” attempting suicide several times, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP).
The original sentence was due to the “severe consequences of the crimes on the victims,” along with the “seriousness of the acts committed,” the defendant’s personality, her direct and intense criminal intent, lack of remorse, and a high need for special preventive measures given her impulsive nature and inability to control her sexual urges.
The defendant remains under house arrest awaiting the final decision affirmation. The investigation was conducted by the MP of Angra do Heroísmo of the Azores DIAP, assisted by the Judiciary Police (Department of Criminal Investigation of the Azores).
