The victim’s silence in court acquits the man accused of raping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Braga

A Braga court acquitted a 27-year-old man accused by prosecutors of rape, assault, insult and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, while the accused benefited from the silence of the alleged victim.

At the trial, both the accused and his ex-girlfriend chose not to testify, so the court found the facts stated in the charges unproven.

“Thus, as to the material facts relating to the crimes analyzed, there was no evidence of their existence, the manner in which they were committed and the identity of the agent,” said the Sept. 12 ruling, which Lusa had access to today. .

The accused and the alleged victim had been dating since 2014, began living together the following year and have two children.

The relationship “was marked by conflict between the couple: in 2022, the accused was found guilty of domestic violence and received a suspended sentence of three and a half years in prison, which is currently being carried out.

As an additional punishment, the defendant was prohibited from having any contact with his ex-girlfriend.

In the case now pending, the defendant is accused of raping, assaulting, abusing and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend starting in June 2020, the year they returned to live together after their alleged breakup.

Prosecutors say the attacks occurred, in part, while the woman was pregnant, with the prosecution alleging the defendant kicked her in the stomach to try to cause a miscarriage.

The domestic violence, prosecutors add, continued when the woman expressed her intention to end the relationship, she was attacked with scissors and a baby stroller, and pressure was applied to her neck, causing her to lose consciousness.

In the meantime, there may have been a violation.

However, given the silence of the alleged victim during the trial and the lack of other evidence, such as evidence of hospital stays, the court acquitted the defendant accused of domestic violence and rape.