Nearly five years after a British bouncer elbowed a young Portuguese man with fatal consequences outside an Albufeira nightclub, a Portuguese court has found him guilty of grievous bodily harm and sentenced him, in his absence, to seven years behind bars.
John Hodgson, 23, fled Portugal shortly after the death of Ricardo Teixeira in July 2011.
Despite never having returned to face any of the court hearings scheduled over the last few years (click here), the public prosecutor has stated that Hodgson did not mean to cause Teixeira’s death – thus defence lawyer Carina Oliveira has called the verdict “excessive”.
What happens next remains unclear.
In theory, Portuguese justice will refer the verdict to the UK where it may, or may not, be carried out.
This is certainly what the parents of the dead young man hope.
They have been fighting for justice since their son was taken off life-support after being pronounced brain-dead.
Hodgson’s elbowing caused Teixeira to fall backwards and sustain his fatal injuries.
In 2014, it appeared that the Portuguese authorities were unaware of Hodgson’s whereabouts in UK, but since then he has been described as on “term of identity and residence” – meaning his movements have to be reported to British police.
On top of the seven-year sentence, Hodgson has been ordered to pay his victim’s family €138,000 in compensation, reports Correio da Manhã.
Teixeira’s mother Helena Barrocas said the family would much rather exchange the damages for a tougher sentence.
“He was condemned to seven years in jail but he will never suffer what we will suffer for the rest of our lives,” she said after the hearing.
Photo: Ricardo Teixeira (pictured) sustained fatal injuries after being elbowed by bouncer John Hodgson in 2011
