José Maciel Alves, the father of the 15-year-old boy who used a chokehold to kill his mother in Algés, Portugal, went on trial for domestic violence on Tuesday at the Cascais court. Portugal's Public Prosecution Service has charged him with three counts of domestic violence and one count of rape.
Alves, who is Brazilian, was arrested in October and has been held in pre-trial detention ever since. Prosecutors allege that during the years the couple lived together in Portugal, he subjected Gabriela Barbosa to physical assaults, threats and sexual violence, and that he controlled her daily life. He is also accused of assaulting the couple's two children, including the son who later killed her.
Barbosa was killed on the night of August 12 to 13. Her son is currently being held at a facility as he awaits trial on a homicide charge over her death.
Father wants to testify about the night of the killing
During the trial, Alves wants to tell the court that he was the one who called emergency services and the police after an episode of violence between him and Barbosa. His account is intended to show that he sought help rather than caused harm, though prosecutors maintain he is responsible for a pattern of abuse against the family.
Domestic violence charges under Portuguese law
Domestic violence is treated as a public crime under Portuguese law, meaning prosecutors can bring charges even without a formal complaint from the victim. Algés is a coastal parish in the municipality of Oeiras, just west of Lisbon, and the case is being heard at the judicial court in neighbouring Cascais.
Related developments in the case
The killing has prompted several other legal proceedings. Prosecutors have separately asked that custody of the couple's four-year-old daughter, who witnessed her mother's death, be granted to Alves' side of the family.
Alves' defence lawyer has described him as profoundly shaken by the case, according to a separate Correio da Manhã report.
The 15-year-old has been placed in a closed-regime educational facility for three months while proceedings in his own case continue, Correio da Manhã has reported.
