The Braga Court today sentenced a man from Vila Verde to five years in prison, with a suspended sentence, who for 11 years forced his wife to live in a “permanent state of terror”, including an episode of rape.
The 56-year-old defendant was convicted of a crime of domestic violence and a crime of rape.
According to the court, the assaults, mainly verbal, took place at the couple’s residence, in Parada de Gatim, and have occurred at least once a week since 2008, the year in which the accused returned from abroad.
The defendant insulted the woman, accused her of having lovers and put her out of bed, having once ripped off the door of the room in which she slept.
On July 2, 2019, the defendant kissed the woman forcibly and ended up raping her.
That same day, the woman ran away from home, never coming back.
The couple, however, divorced.
For the court, all the facts were practiced by the defendant with the concrete purpose of leaving the woman “in a climate of permanent embarrassment and terror, preventing her from freely governing her life”.
“He treated his wife as an inferior being”, pointed out the presiding judge, highlighting the high degree of illegality of the accused and the fact that he acted “without any justified reason”, but only out of “distrust and jealousy”.
He also underlined the “absolute contempt” that he revealed for the woman, the direct deceit and, above all, the lack of regret or remorse.
In favor of the accused, the court valued the family support he has, his professional insertion and the absence of a criminal record.
For the suspension of the sentence, the accused is obliged to pay 5,000 euros to the victim and to attend a course on the prevention of domestic violence.
He is also prohibited from approaching his ex-wife and using weapons.
“The crimes he committed are very serious, affect essential values,” said the presiding judge.
He also recalled that, if it weren’t for the rape, the victim would probably still be at home and be the target of the defendant’s “unworthy behavior”.
–
