A man from Caldas da Rainha has been acquitted by the Supreme Court of sexually assaulting his four-year-old daughter, for which he was accused seven years ago. The trial in the Leiria court was repeated twice, and only on the last occasion was he found guilty by a ruling of the Coimbra court.
The case began in 2016 and the trial took place in 2018, with the accused acquitted, prompting prosecutors to file an appeal in the Coimbra court. The judges realized there had been a “marked error in the assessment of the evidence” and ordered a “new trial”, but the Leiria court again acquitted.
A new appeal followed, in which it was decided to prove eight crimes of sexual violence and return the case to Leiria to determine punishment.
In 2022, the Leiria court sentenced the defendant to five years of suspended imprisonment, but after a new appeal to the Coimbra court, the term was increased to nine years. The defendant appealed to the Supreme Court, which pointed out shortcomings and errors in the verdict and assessment of evidence and issued an acquittal.
Author: Isabel Jordan
Source: CM Jornal
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