MP calls for conviction of young man accused of the death of his ex-girlfriend in Lagoa in the Algarve – Portugal

This Wednesday, the Public Ministry (MP) requested effective arrest for the man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend, who died, in June 2023 in Lagoa, Algarve, with the defense asking for his acquittal.

In the closing arguments of the trial taking place in Portimão, in the district of Faro, the MP prosecutor requested a 14-year prison sentence for Tiago Souto, aged 22, in pre-trial detention for the crime of attempted homicide.

“A severe punishment is what is required”, the public prosecutor claimed in court, considering that the defendant struck Joana Nascimento twice with a knife “with the intention of killing her”.

The facts date back to June 15, 2023, when the man waited for his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend to get off work and, when she was inside the car, struck her twice in the neck with a razor.

Joana Nascimento received hospital treatment and was discharged on the same day, but was admitted again on June 22 at Portimão Hospital with a serious infection caused by her injuries.

The victim was transported by helicopter to Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon, where he died on the night of the 23rd, as a result of a post-traumatic abscess, complicated by sepsis (generalized infection), states the autopsy report.

For the MP, the attacks occurred because the defendant “never accepted the end of the relationship” which the victim did not want to continue, acting with a feeling of possession and dominance.

The prosecutor considered that it was proven in court that the defendant “with a considerable” criminal record “struck the knife with the intention of killing”, and did not show, during the hearings, any signs of repentance.

During his intervention, the MP asked that violent relationships and behavior be reported in a timely manner and as quickly as possible, so that they can be exemplarily punished by the courts.

The prosecution lawyer also asked for an effective prison sentence for the defendant, considering that he “acted with intent and with the intention to kill”, knowing that the result would be that of hitting Joana in a sensitive area of ​​the body, the neck.

The representative of the victim’s family also requests compensation of 60 thousand euros.

The defense lawyer asked for the defendant’s acquittal, as she understood that there was not enough evidence for conviction, claiming that the witnesses heard in court did not have direct knowledge of the facts, but only through the victim’s report in the days leading up to his hospitalization. .

The reading of the ruling was scheduled for May 6th, at 1:30 pm at the Portimão Court.