Domestic violence suspect in Almada released due to court coordination failures
A suspect detained by the GNR in Costa da Caparica was released without interrogation following miscommunications between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defence. Restrictive measures were only applied weeks later.
Procedural failures in Almada Court leave domestic violence suspect at liberty
A suspect accused of domestic violence detained by the GNR in Costa da Caparica, in Almada, on 3 June, was presented to the criminal investigation judge two days later without having been questioned or subjected to any restrictive measures, according to reporting by portaltela.pt.
The defendant was presented to court at 10am on 5 June, when the detention had occurred at 2.10pm on 3 June — a delay of more than 48 hours. The proceedings were scheduled for 1.30pm, but the Public Prosecutor's Office magistrate and the physical case file were not present at that time.
The defendant's representative also failed to attend at the scheduled time for the afternoon proceedings. Without sufficient time to appoint a duty solicitor, the interrogation did not take place. The legal time limit for the proceedings had not begun, which resulted in the immediate release of the suspect, without any interrogation or restrictive measures.
According to a source at Almada Court cited by portaltela.pt, miscommunications between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defence were behind this unexpected release.
The interrogation was rescheduled for 12 June. On that date, restrictive measures were applied: prohibition of contact with the victim by any means, prohibition of remaining at the victim's residence and of approaching within 500 metres of the victim's workplace, with remote technical monitoring.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)