Conviction overturned ÉVORA’S APPEAL Court has overturned a man’s conviction for sexually abusing his four-year-old daughter and ordered his release from prison.
The case was originally heard by the Portimão court in October (see The Resident’s edition of October 20) and the man, Ivan Mereuta, 46, sentenced to seven years and six months in jail.
The judges who sentenced him had “no doubts” about the crime after the young girl’s testimony and the forensic reports as well as the man’s statements saying that he had confused his daughter with her mother because he was drunk.
However, the Appeals Court of Évora, in making its judgement, says that the original judges should have had “more doubts” and the lawyer of Ivan Mereuta, João Grade, has mentioned that the case suffered from many irregularities and even the Ministério Público, the public prosecutor, had asked for its annulment.
The alleged offence occurred in the summer of 2006, when the Moldavian immigrant was taking care of his daughter while the mother had to work at nights.
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