A 28-year-old Portuguese man was arrested in Faro on June 26 on suspicion of rape and attempted rape of two foreign women – one Polish (32) and the other German (33) respectively.
PJ criminal police said the man is believed to have tried to rape the German woman in a remote area on Ilha Deserta on June 21, but the victim managed to escape after screaming for help and fighting back.
Hours earlier in the same location the man allegedly raped a Polish woman, who is said to have offered little resistance because she was scared of being stabbed, reports Correio da Manhã.
Both women, who were alone at the time, told police the man would approach them on the beach, lay down his towel and start chatting in a friendly manner before attacking them.
It was the man’s distinct features – an eyebrow piercing and a large tattoo on his arm – that made it easier for police to track him down.
Locals have described the man as a “problematic person” who is also suspected of having set fire to his grandmother’s house on the neighbouring island of Hangares two weeks ago. According to CM, the man would make a living from harvesting shellfish in Ria Formosa.
The man is now in custody awaiting trial.
