Y
Yuan Shao
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Six Jailed In Child Abuse Case In Portugal
<!-- SHARE --> Six men have been jailed for sexually abusing dozens of children at a state-run care home after a trial lasting almost six years which has gripped and horrified Portugal.
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Former TV presenter Carlos Cruz arrives at court for sentencing
Those condemned include a television presenter, a lawyer, a former ambassador and a doctor. The abuse happened at the Casa Pia children's home in Lisbon. Carlos Silvino, a driver and gardener at the home who helped procure boys to be abused at orgies, was sentenced to 18 years. The 53-year-old, the only defendant to have pleaded guilty, had admitted more than 600 counts of abuse and gave evidence against the others. Carlos Cruz, a veteran TV presenter, was sentenced to seven years, while Jorge Ritto, a former Unesco ambassador, was given six years and eight months.
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Now, when a child accuses an adult, nobody will look with the same lack of attention that they did for many years.
<cite> Casa Pia's current boss, Catalina Pestana
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Six victims - now aged between 16 and 22 - punched the air and cheered when the verdicts were returned. One of them, Bernardo Teixeira, said: "The court recognised that we were telling the truth. It's a happy ending for us. The paedophiles are going to jail." The scandal emerged in 2002 when a victim accused Silvino of raping him.
A year-long police investigation led to what is believed to be the longest-running court case in Portuguese history. Some observers have said the process has highlighted the slowness and inefficiency of Portuguese courts. The judges heard 920 witnesses in 460 court sessions. Casa Pia was founded in 1780 to help care for the hundreds of children orphaned by a massive earthquake five years earlier.
Casa Pia now cares for about 4,500 children
It now cares for around 4,500 orphans and children whose parents cannot care for them. Catalina Pestana, who was put in charge of Casa Pia after the crimes were first reported, said: "The stories that I heard were the most terrible of my life. "I think Portugal, the country, all of us, won a lot from this process. Now, when a child accuses an adult, nobody will look with the same lack of attention that they did for many years." In March 2006, a court ordered the Portuguese government to pay two million euros (£1.6m) in compensation to 44 former Casa Pia residents, saying it had failed in its duty to protect the children.
