On March 14, 2025, the Central Civil and Criminal Court of Angra do Heroísmo convicted a defendant of two counts of sexual harassment, eight counts of sexual abuse of children, and four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of children, with a single sentence of 20 years in prison.

The defendant was also sentenced to a ban on exercising a profession, employment, public or private function or activity, even if unpaid, which involves regular contact with children and a ban on taking a minor into his or her care, in particular adoption, guardianship, curatorship, foster care, civil sponsorship, handing over, custody or trust of minors, for 20 years, as well as to pay compensation for non-pecuniary damage to the victims for €5,000.00 to one and €15,000.00 to each of the other two.

These crimes occurred in the summers of 2015 and 2017 and between August 2020 and March 10, 2023, in the municipality of Horta.

One of the victims was in foster care and was the daughter of the defendant’s partner. The other two sisters were nieces of another defendant’s partners and lived very close to the defendant’s home at the time of the assaults.

The court imposed the sentence taking into account the high seriousness of the acts committed, the defendant’s personality, his direct and intense intent, as well as the need for special prevention and general prevention, given the great social alarm and feeling of indignation and unease that sexual crimes against children and adolescents cause in the community, and the victims’ ages, between 7 and 14.

The defendant is awaiting the case’s final judgment and is being held in pre-trial detention.

The investigation was led by the Horta MP of the Azores DIAP, assisted by the Judicial Police (Azores Criminal Investigation Department).

In Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros- director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.