THE DOCTOR who examined Leonor Cipriano told Faro court on Tuesday how she had examined her on October 18, 2004 noting that she had multiple lesions on the face, chest, back, arms and knees.
Leonor Cipriano, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for the murder of her daughter Joana in 2004, is now accusing police inspectors of torturing her during interrogation.
Dr. Posalaky was the fifth witness to be heard in the case and told the court how she had examined Leonor Cipriano on October 18 2004 noting that she had multiple lesions on the face, chest, back, arms and knees. The doctor added that she believed these injuries were not as a result of falling down a flight of stairs, the reason given by the police to account for the wounds suffered by Leonor Cipriano while in custody.
 A picture of Leonor showing lesions on her face while in custody |
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Deal
The defence lawyer acting on behalf of the five accused police questioned the severity of the injuries described by the doctor and asked why an x-ray was only requested 11 days after the original examination on October 18 2004. The doctor replied that, at the time, it had not been deemed necessary.
According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, four of the arguidos in the case have allegedly brokered a deal with those working on behalf of Leonor Cipriano. Lusa claims that the four inspectors will admit to torturing Leonor Cipriano but will make it clear that they told Gonçalo Amaral of the incident and he failed to react to the situation.
Three of the arguidos are accused of torture, the fourth is accused of failing to provide aid and failure to report the incident, while the fifth is accused of forging documents in the case.
Libel cases
The case is being followed diligently by the Portuguese press and public as lawyers from all sides launch libel cases against one another as allegations of deformation of character and the leaking of information to inappropriate parties is revealed.
The case began on September 12 2004 when eight year old Joana Cipriano disappeared from her village of Figueira, near Portimão. Leonor Cipriano and João Cipriano, Joana’s uncle, have both been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for the murder and concealment of Joana, although a body has never been found.
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