Suspect in assault on pilgrim in Vila do Conde remanded in custody
A 59-year-old man, with 21 years of a sentence already served, was detained by the Judicial Police and presented to the Criminal Investigation Court in Matosinhos. The court ordered preventive detention following a judicial interrogation hearing.
Man with history of sexual crimes assaults Santiago de Compostela pilgrim
The court ordered preventive detention for the suspect in the rape and robbery of a Santiago de Compostela pilgrim, which occurred in August in the municipality of Vila do Conde, Porto district. The restraining measure was applied on Monday following the man's presentation to the Criminal Investigation Court (TIC) in Matosinhos for his first judicial interrogation, according to a judicial source.
O Correio da Manhã reports that the Judicial Police (PJ) announced on Saturday the identification and detention of the presumed perpetrator, "not in flagrant delict", of the crime of rape and a robbery recorded in August in the same municipality.
Assault during the journey
The victim is a 39-year-old foreign national who was walking the Santiago de Compostela route when she was approached by the defendant. According to the PJ statement, the woman was "subjected to the practice of sexually significant acts through the use of physical violence, and was also deprived of belongings in her possession".
The PJ described that the defendant is "unknown to the victim" and that "he acted by surprise, taking advantage of the victim's vulnerabilities, his knowledge of the surrounding physical area and demonstrating compulsive behaviour driven by his sexual gratification".
Detention following report to authorities
The crime occurred in August this year. The victim reported the facts to police authorities, who immediately began "evidence-gathering procedures that culminated in the identification, location and detention of the defendant", according to the PJ.
The suspect is 59 years old, is unemployed and has an "extensive criminal record for crimes of various types, including repeated crimes against sexual freedom". At the time of the facts, according to the PJ, "he was under conditional release following the completion of an effective prison sentence of 21 years".
Source: Correio da Manhã