LISBON – A Portuguese court jailed six people for up to 18 years yesterday for abusing children in a state orphanage.
Following a six-year court case, the defendants, including a well-known television presenter, a former diplomat and two doctors, received sentences of between just under six years and 18 years for their participation in abuse of children living at the Casa Pia home.
One defendant, who had been linked to a house where abuse took place, was acquitted.
The ruling was hailed as a victory by those fighting for children’s rights in the country.
“The stories that I heard were the most terrible of my life,” said Catalina Pestana, who was put in charge of Casa Pia after the crimes were first reported in 2002.
“I think Portugal, the country, all of us, won a lot from this process. Now, when a child accuses an adult, nobody will look with the same lack of attention that they did for many years.”
Carlos Silvino, a former driver at Casa Pia, had sexually abused underaged boys in the orphanage’ s garage and then paid them. He received an 18-year sentence.
The others say they are innocent and will appeal. Carlos Cruz, once Portugal’s most popular television presenters, was sentenced to seven years in prison.
“There is no proof of my guilt,” Cruz told journalists, pledging to appeal the decision.
“These men have to be condemned, they committed barbaric crimes against humanity,” Pedro Namora, a former pupil at Casa Pia and now a lawyer, told reporters.
Many observers say the trial has shown up the slowness and inefficiency of Portuguese courts, especially in handling a trial on this scale – 920 witnesses were heard in 460 court sessions. After years of being accused of lying and fabricating the stories, the victims welcomed the outcome.
“After today, a lot of things change for me,” said Francisco Guerra (25), one of the victims. “Now I continue to have my dignity and I can look ahead.”
Five of the 32 victims, now in their early 20s, were in the courtroom with their lawyers. Another victim, sitting in the public section, cried during the session.
The weekly newspaper Expresso broke the story in late 2002 when it reported that a driver at Casa Pia had been abusing children at the institution for years.
Before the Casa Pia case, Portuguese media had shied away from reporting issues such as child abuse, but television stations gave uninterrupted coverage of the court proceedings yesterday. – (Reuters)