High-profile Portugal child sex abuse 'proved'

Sky News

Seven people have been found guilty of sex crimes in a Portuguese child abuse case.

Judges at a Lisbon court detailed dozens of charges of sex abuse against 32 children at the Casa Pia children's home in Lisbon.

Six men and a woman were found guilty of repeated sexual abuse and running a paedophile ring at the home during the 1990s.

Since 2004 the court has heard testimony from nearly a thousand witnesses in what has become the longest running trial in Portugese history.

The trial came about after one of the children at the Casa Pia state run children's home claimed they had been raped by a former driver and gardener at the home, Carlos Silvino, in November 2002.

Silvino, 53, admitted to 600 charges of child abuse, rape and supplying children to his wealthy clients.

The other defendants, including a former tv presenter Carlos Cruz and diplomat and former Portugese ambassador Jorge Ritto, had repeatedly claimed their innocence during the trial.

More to follow...

Been following this live on TV1. It is total chaos outside the court, and I must say as this scandal (all really revealled by one single woman) is still ongoing, it has given me great hope that the McCanns haven't escaped justice yet.
The Portuguese justice system has very, very slow cogs, but however, if the cogs are still turning slowy but surely then we must all have hope that Team McCann will still see the inside of the courtroom, but from the dock this side, not the witness stand for a libel trial!

Viva Portugal.

The seven convicted of abuse include Portuguese TV presenter Carlos Cruz All seven defendants in a long-running trial in Portugal have been found guilty over the sexual abuse of children at a state-run home.

The six men and one woman include Carlos Cruz, a former top TV presenter, and Jorge Ritto, a retired ambassador.

Between them they faced hundreds of charges relating to the rape and abuse of 32 boys in the 1990s.

The boys, now aged between 16 and 22, were all residents at the Casa Pia children's home in the capital, Lisbon.

The panel of judges in the case are still reading the full verdict in each of the hundreds of accusations, but they have ruled that the vast majority of the sexual abuse allegations have been proven.

The main defendant was Carlos Silvino, a former driver for Casa Pia who the court found had abused boys on hundreds of occasions. He also was accused of offering them to men, including Cruz, for cash.

The 54-year-old confessed to 639 charges relating to the abuse of children or procuring them for others, and incriminated the other defendants.

Ritto and Joao Ferreira Diniz, a doctor, were found guilty of six charges of sexually abusing minors, while Cruz and Manuel Abrantes, a former Casa Pia governor, were convicted on five counts.

Former Casa Pia resident and victim
Hugo Marcal, a lawyer, and Gertrudes Nunes, who allowed her house in Elvas to be used by the abusers, were found guilty of two charges.

The six denied the allegations and said their lives had been ruined.

"This is one of the most monstrous judicial mistakes in Portuguese history," Cruz said, dismissing the verdict as built on "lies and manipulation" and part of a "vendetta" against him.

Pedro Namora, a lawyer and former pupil who helped break the scandal in 2002, hailed the verdicts, telling reporters: "I hope this day will allow us to show the country that the boys have told the truth from the start."

"These men have to be condemned, they committed barbarous crimes against humanity," he added.

One of the victims, Bernardo Teixeira, said he felt "very emotional".

"I cannot believe we have finally reached this day," he added. "It was very hard to be forced to go back in time and remember all those horrifying experiences."


Casa Pia scandal timeline
September 2002: Scandal breaks when the mother of one boy tells police he has been sexually abused by a former Casa Pia driver and gardener, Carlos Silvino

February 2003: Social workers say they have uncovered 130 cases of child abuse at the main Casa Pia home, dating back to the 1970s

December 2003: Prosecutors charge 10 people with the sexual abuse of children at Casa Pia, including several celebrities and top officials

June 2004: Judge throws out charges against three suspects, including a leading politician

November 2004: Six men and one woman go on trial, accused of sexually abusing 32 children
May 2005: The 32 victims starting giving evidence

March 2006: Court orders the government to pay 2m euros in compensation to 44 former Casa Pia residents, saying it had failed to protect them

September 2010: Judges find the charges against all seven defendants have been proven

Another victim, Bernardo Tavares told Portuguese state television: "It is difficult, but... when we hear our name linked to proven facts this gives us more strength."

"There is anxiety, tensions are running high in there, our seats are probably the hottest because we have waited many years for this day. It is one of the days we have most looked forward to, the day when finally justice will be done and when finally those who have committed crimes will be sentenced for them."

The three judges are expected to take turns reading out a summary of the verdict, which is reported to run to several thousand pages.

Chief prosecutor Miguel Matias said he expected the judges would hand down sentences later on Friday.

The penalty in Portugal for the sexual abuse of a child ranges from three to 10 years in prison, although there is an upper limit of 25 years on the total sentence that can be handed down.

The case is one of the longest-running in Portuguese history, lasting more than five years, with testimony from more than 800 witnesses and experts.

During the trial, the 32 victims gave gruesome testimony about being raped by adults in dark cellars, cars and secluded houses.

"Some of the accounts could be considered pornographic," the lead judge, Ana Peres, told the courtroom on Friday.

One of the victims, now in his early 20s, was so seriously abused that he was now incontinent, a lawyer told the BBC.

Almost all of them identified their abusers by pointing them out in the courtroom.

However, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Lisbon says it is thought that there may be many other victims who are still too frightened to speak out.


Abuse at Casa Pia is said to have started in the mid-1970s, but was not discovered until 2002 The alleged abuse at Casa Pia is said to have started in the mid-1970s, but was not discovered until 2002, when the mother of a boy placed at a state-run home in Lisbon said he had been abused by staff there.

Casa Pia is a 230-year old institution which cares for about 4,500 needy children through a network of homes and schools.

This case is not the only one spawned by the investigation that began in 2002.

Seven other trials have already run their course, with some of those found guilty themselves former Casa Pia pupils.

In March 2006, a court ordered the Portuguese government to pay 2m euros (£1.66m) in compensation to 44 former Casa Pia residents, saying it had failed in its duty to protect them.

also on Sky News

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Portugal-Child-Abuse-Six-men-And-A-Woman-Found-Guilty-Of-Abusing-32-Children-In-Casa-Pia-Case/Article/201009115712910?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15712910_Portugal_Child_Abuse%3A_Six_men_And_A_Woman_Found_Guilty_Of_Abusing_32_Children_In_Casa_Pia_Case

call me septic peg if you like but l predict a rush of McCann spin

Topics merged.

Those poor damaged children have had to wait such a long time for their day in court but at last Justice has been done.

margaret wrote:call me septic peg if you like but l predict a rush of McCann spin

Me too! It will fullfill the Team MccCanns dream of that Portugal is full of child abusers and is totally corrupt. I believe that abuse did happen, i'm not going to dispute any of that, but the only child I know of personaly,that attended the school, now has a trade and a good job, and speaks very highly of his three years in the home. (His home life was totally shit, his mum legged it and his dad, well, the less said is better!)
This is kind of the same story about the Irish Priests, these people, prey on young children/minors and abuse their position, simply because they can. Jorge Ritto has really admitted it, i would imagine that most of them ie. Carlos Cruz etc. did take part and are guilty. It is such a shame that so much time has elapsed since the abuse took place. Carlos Cruz even wrote a book whilst he was in prison, so much for Amaral corrupting the course of justice eh??

The air is cleaner today.
A warning to those who think they can hurt helpless, innocent children and get away with it: justice may take time but it comes. One way or another. Hope all those people who have hurt children in any way remember this case and are haunted every second of their lives thinking about when their time will come.

Ritto and Joao Ferreira Diniz, a doctor, were found guilty of six charges of sexually abusing minors, while Cruz and Manuel Abrantes, a former Casa Pia governor, were convicted on five counts...i dont think so, do you?


Now, if the abusers were builders and dustmen...THEN the mccanns will say something!!

Wow, prison to all of them!

18 years to Silvino and 7 to Carlos Cruz and 25000 euros of damage compensation from each one of the accused to the victims. Just Silvino will pay 15000 Euros. Justice may take time, but it worked this time.

And what a cover up, that was...for a while.



High profile abusers....doctors, lawyers, judges etc.....KNOWONE is beyond the law..

Thanks for merging i did have a quick look to see if it had been poosted elsewhere but must have missed it

hobnob wrote:Thanks for merging i did have a quick look to see if it had been poosted elsewhere but must have missed it

No probs, hobnob. I think I should have posted it on the main Maddie forum anyway.

FSoares wrote:Wow, prison to all of them!

18 years to Silvino and 7 to Carlos Cruz and 25000 euros of damage compensation from each one of the accused to the victims. Just Silvino will pay 15000 Euros. Justice may take time, but it worked this time.

Viva Justiça!!! I though Carlos "Teflon" Cruz would walk free. I can say today I am a happy bunny wabbit. All those years ago when they had the "support lunch" for Cruz at Barbas reastaurant in CC. I honestly thought they woud get away with it. I can now live with a smile on my face for those poor children. Well done, even if it was late coming.

This may sound weird, but I feel proud today. Those people thought they could hide behind their money and their status and they probably thought that they would get away with a slap on their wrists. They were wrong. And I can't help but repeat myself: ALL BASTEWARDS OUT THERE WHO THINK THEY CAN HURT A CHILD IN ANY WAY AND GET AWAY WITH IT, BEWARE: YOUR TIME WILL COME. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER JUSTICE WILL BE DONE. And while it isn't, may your life be hell.

I posted it here because it was in portugal and the case had cropped up in postings about child abuse and Madeleine maybe i should have posted it elsewhere but at least those children have seen justice being served even if it took years to happen.
Crimes are never forgotten they will stay open until they are solved and many years down the line cold cases are reopened and the perpetrator(s) brought to justice. and sometimes even after death the guilty are named and shamed.
There is no escape when you commit a crime.

Bibi has got to serve 18 years !! Shame NOT!!

fred wrote:Bibi has got to serve 18 years !! Shame NOT!!

It couldn't happen to a better person...
Hope he rots in prison.

[quote="Claudia79"]

fred wrote:Bibi has got to serve 18 years !! Shame NOT!!

It couldn't happen to a better person...
Hope he rots in prison.[/quote

I don't !!!I don't hope he rots I hope he serves a full and long life, surrounded in the next 18 years by people who think paedophilia is a crime and justice is served our the prison way and not the justice way. Play station or a gangster to stuff his arse which is justice?

[quote="fred"]

Claudia79 wrote:

fred wrote:Bibi has got to serve 18 years !! Shame NOT!!

It couldn't happen to a better person...
Hope he rots in prison.[/quote

I don't !!!I don't hope he rots I hope he serves a full and long life, surrounded in the next 18 years by people who think paedophilia is a crime and justice is served our the prison way and not the justice way. Play station or a gangster to stuff his arse which is justice?

And then, after his sentence is served, I hope he rots there and never manages to get out.

Yep, Claudia I'm with you on that one

fred wrote:Yep, Claudia I'm with you on that one

[quote="fred"]

Claudia79 wrote:

fred wrote:Bibi has got to serve 18 years !! Shame NOT!!

It couldn't happen to a better person...
Hope he rots in prison.[/quote

I don't !!!I don't hope he rots I hope he serves a full and long life, surrounded in the next 18 years by people who think paedophilia is a crime and justice is served our the prison way and not the justice way. Play station or a gangster to stuff his arse which is justice?

And if natural justice is to be served, he will end up incontinent like one of those abused children.