A 30-year-old man has been arrested to serve a six-year jail sentence for having driven straight into a crowd of late-night revellers in Praia da Rocha, Portimão in July 2015, injuring 13 people (click here).
An arrest warrant was issued after the man failed to report to authorities to serve his sentence. PSP police arrested him in Sacavém near Lisbon on Monday (February 10).
The case was widely reported at the time, with many calling for the man to be charged with attempted murder.
Authorities later confirmed that the man was driving under the influence of alcohol without a licence.
Alberto Afonso, aged 25 at the time, from São Tomé had twice been ordered to stop but instead kept on going at high speed, forcing one of the policemen who tried to stop him to jump to safety.
Later in court, he reportedly broke down in tears, alleging brake failure.
He was initially sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, although the sentence was reduced to six years in 2019 by the Court of Appeal of Évora as he was a first-time offender and was “socially integrated”.
