15-year-old killed his mother in Portugal – shadow of inaction by authorities
A minor in Algés, Oeiras is being held in an educational detention centre following his mother's murder. The family had been under monitoring since 2024 for domestic violence.
Mother's murder in Algés: 15-year-old in detention centre, questions over authorities' inaction
As reported by gr.euronews.com, a 15-year-old accused of murdering his mother on the evening of Wednesday to Thursday in Algés, in the Oeiras region of Portugal, will remain in "preventive detention" in an educational centre. The decision was issued by the Cascais Family and Minors Court.
The teenager appeared before the court on Friday and chose to remain silent. As he has not yet reached 16 years of age, he is considered criminally irresponsible and cannot face a formal charge of manslaughter.
"Chain of violence" in a family from Brazil
The case highlights a complex framework of domestic violence. The woman, identified by Brazilian media as Gabriela Barbosa, 33 years old, born in Osasco in São Paulo, is said to have been simultaneously both a victim and a perpetrator of violence. A victim at the hands of her husband – who is already in preventive detention and awaits trial in September for domestic violence and rape with aggravating circumstances – but also responsible, according to the same sources, for "continued physical and psychological abusive treatment" against the two children.
The family, of Brazilian origin and settled in Portugal for two years, had been under monitoring since May 2024 by the Commission for Child and Youth Protection (CPCJ) in Oeiras. The president of the CPCJ, Rui Esteves, stated to the newspaper Público that the case "was forwarded with urgent procedure" to the competent court.
The 15-year-old had repeatedly requested placement in an institution
According to the newspaper Correio da Manhã, the teenager had informed the authorities that "the mother continuously beat his four-year-old sister and threatened to kill her". He had submitted to the CPCJ audio files which, according to the same sources, document scenes of violence. The youth is said to have repeatedly requested placement in an institution, without receiving a positive response.
Earlier, following an incident in which he had attacked his father, he had been placed under a "reformatory educational measure" which had no substantive consequences.
The night of the crime and the fate of his four-year-old sister
On Wednesday evening, following a new violent incident, the 15-year-old is said to have strangled his mother using a chokehold known as "mata-leão". He slept beside the body and notified the authorities only in the afternoon on Thursday, turning himself in to the PSP.
His four-year-old sister is said to have been present during the crime. The girl was placed by the authorities with a "person of trust", a decision endorsed by the judge ordering the continuation of the measure for three months, according to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSM), as reported by the newspaper Público.
Complaints are meanwhile mounting concerning inaction by the Portuguese authorities, particularly the CPCJ, which was monitoring the family but did not proceed with more drastic intervention.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)