A 23-year-old man was this Wednesday sentenced by the Madeira District Court to five years and three months in prison for the crimes of domestic violence against his girlfriend, illegitimate access and aggravated threat.
The court also determined an accessory penalty of banning contact with the victim for two years after leaving the Funchal Prison.
The relationship began when the young people were even smaller.
In reading the decision, the president of the collective of judges of the Central Instance of Madeira, Carla Meneses, indicated that the court “has no doubt that the accused also ends up being a victim due to his consumption (drugs and alcohol), of his past, in which he was left to himself”.
But, he added, “despite being a victim, the court cannot tolerate that a person who starts to consume practices this type of acts”, so “he has a duty to protect the community”.
The Public Prosecution’s indictment mentions that the affair began when the defendant was 17 and the young woman 14, with emotional and physical violence arising in a context in which the suspect was trying to get money to buy drugs.
The young man was convicted of aggravated threat to the mother and brother of the victim, to whom he has to pay civil compensation of 22,000 euros for moral damages.
