Mother, 39, and lover, 57, detained for coercing daughter into sexual acts from age 15 in Albufeira
The victim, now 18, reported the three-year ordeal to the GNR on Thursday, leading to the immediate arrest of the pair by the Polícia Judiciária.
The abuse
A 39-year-old woman and her 57-year-old lover coerced the woman's daughter into sexual activity starting when the girl was 15. The encounters happened sporadically when the mother met the man, and some were photographed with a mobile phone. The mother received financial support in exchange for involving her daughter. Both suspects are foreign nationals who have lived in Portugal for several years, each married to other people, and they concealed their relationship from their spouses.
At 15, the victim was coerced into beginning sexual activity, through joint sexual acts, in sporadic encounters that her mother had with the detainee, her lover, with some of the encounters recorded by the defendants using a mobile phone.
The denunciation
On Thursday, 23 July 2026, the now 18-year-old woman found the courage to break away from her family situation and report the crimes to the GNR in Albufeira, Faro district. The GNR immediately alerted the Polícia Judiciária, which launched an investigation.
She lived in constant anguish and coerced into silence, until she gained the courage to distance herself from her family reality and denounce the facts yesterday to the GNR.
The investigation
The PJ's Southern Directorate acted swiftly, safeguarding and collecting solid evidence that strongly incriminates the pair. The evidence includes photographic records of some encounters. The suspects, aged 39 and 57, are strongly indicted for sexual abuse of a dependent minor and aggravated sexual coercion.
The PJ managed to safeguard and collect solid evidentiary elements that strongly incriminate the defendants in the practice of the crimes.
Legal proceedings
The detainees will be presented to a court for a first judicial interrogation, where coercive measures will be determined. They face charges that carry significant penalties under Portuguese law. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather further details about the three-year period of abuse.
