The family of woman murdered by her Portuguese ex-boyfriend almost nine years ago have said a decision to deport him back to Portugal to serve the rest of his sentence is “disgusting”.
Hugo Quintas was jailed for life for slitting the throat of his pregnant former girlfriend Hayley Richards in a crime that shocked the rural town of Trowbridge in Wiltshire back in 2005.
Handing out the sentence, the presiding judge ordered that Quintas should serve a minimum of 18 years, with at least two-thirds of that time served in a British prison.
But now, with less than half the sentence passed, Quintas has been extradited back to Portugal to see out the rest of his sentence.
Hayley’s “devastated” family were only informed of the deportation after it had happened – and say the decision now on whether or when Quintas is released will be made by the Portuguese authorities, with no input from them.
“Nothing is going to bring Hayley back, but this is just another kick in the teeth” Hayley’s brother Paul told Western Daily News. “David Cameron is always saying that families of people who are murdered have a voice, but we don’t,” he added.
“How are we going to feel if he gets released in a year’s time and goes and kills someone else?
“Hayley’s unborn daughter would have been eight now, so it was not one life but two that he took away from us”.
The case was particularly controversial because Hayley had gone to police a week before her murder to complain about Quintas’ threatening behaviour. The police have since officially apologised to Hayley’s family and there is believed to have been an out-of-court settlement.
Quintas originally fled to Spain after the brutal murder, but was found and returned to Britain to stand trial for her murder.
He has always maintained his innocence, despite the evidence presented in court.
Sympathising with Hayley’s family, the chief of Wiltshire’s Probation Trust said it is not allowed to inform a victim’s family “until the last minute” in any deportation process. He added that victims do not have a say in the matter, anyway.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “It is this Government’s view that foreign nationals who come to the United Kingdom and commit crimes should serve their sentences in their own countries.”
