Tavira pervert and Culatra attacker both to face trial

justice A 53-year-old man, suspected of having committed 13 child sexual abuse offences in the Tavira area, is to be tried.

In addition to crimes of sexual abuse, the alleged pedophile, who has been in pre-trial detention since July last year, also has been charged with five counts of child pornography.

According to the indictment, “the events occurred from 2012 onwards, in the home where the defendant lived in the ??Tavira area. The abused children were between 3 and 11 years old at the time.

Two of the children are part of the man’s family, and the third is from the family of his partner.

The man who terrorised residents and tourists on the island of Culatra last summer is mentally fit to stand trial.

Valter Macário, from the settlement of Hangares on the island of Culatra, faces 19 charges of domestic assault, threatening behaviour, attacking people, damage to property, theft and robbery all occurring during the 2018 summer season.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment against the man, who is suspected of having committed far more crimes. His charge sheet is long enough despite many victims not coming forward to report his behavior.

The crimes were committed between July 17 and September 30, 2018, “in several housing areas on the island of Culatra with several residents and tourists affected,” according to the public prosecutor.

The defendant, who has a criminal record and has been held in jail since his arrest at the end of August last year, has undergone psychiatric testing, the results of which showed he is mentally fit for trial.