44-year-old man detained in the Algarve for sexually abusing 11-year-old girl
The PJ in Portimão detained a security guard aged 44 on suspicion of five counts of sexual abuse against the daughter of his girlfriend, in Silves.
Suspect cohabited with victim in residence in Silves area
The Judicial Police in Portimão detained a 44-year-old man, a security guard by profession, on suspicion of five counts of sexual abuse against a child aged 11, the daughter of his then girlfriend. The alleged acts are believed to have occurred in a residence in the Silves area, in the Algarve.
According to CNN Portugal, the PJ indicated in a statement that the suspect "cohabited with the 11-year-old child, as he maintained a romantic relationship with the child's mother" — a relationship that ended as soon as the abuse became known.
In accordance with the investigation, the alleged acts took place between April 2025 and April 2026. The man took advantage of the child's mother's absences, or moments when she was in another room of the house, to approach the victim. He subsequently kept her silent by offering her gifts.
In August of this year, "disgusted and traumatised by the recurrent sexual abuse", the child reported what had happened to a school classmate. This classmate informed their own parents, who alerted the school and, subsequently, the victim's mother. It was the latter who filed a formal report with the authorities.
The subsequent investigation allowed sufficient evidence to be gathered for the suspect's detention, which was carried out outside of a caught-in-the-act situation. His nationality was not disclosed by the authorities.
The detainee will be brought before the first judicial interrogation to determine any possible preventive measures. The inquiry is under the authority of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Silves.
Source: CNN Portugal