In another horrific case of domestic violence, a 40-year-old man is reported to have attacked his partner and two-year-old child with a blowtorch before barricading himself into their Amadora home, and sitting down to watch television.
The badly-injured woman managed to escape with her son in her arms to be taken in by neighbours.
The neighbours then called police, who forced their way into the house in Alfornelos which by this time was “smelling strongly of gas”.
According to Correio da Manhã, the man – a baker – was “calmly sitting on the sofa” and offered no resistance.
He had “opened four bottles of gas, perhaps with the objective of killing himself”, but police simply opened doors and windows, and waited for the gas to dissipate.
As the baker was taken into custody, his partner and child were treated in hospital.
Their burns are first degree, writes CM – meaning there are no serious risks involved.
The woman was burnt on her arm, she suffered a broken wrist and a bruised eye, said CM, while the baby suffered burns to his arm, ear and forehead.
The child’s father is understood to have a criminal record for possession of an illegal weapon, CM adds.
The paper explained that last year’s report on domestic violence in Portugal showed that 32,100 people were victims of attacks, while an average of three women died every month at the hands of former, estranged or even current partners.
