Two girls injured in attempted rape in Castelo de Vide
The suspect, a 74-year-old former Spanish soldier, was caught and will await trial in custody.
Two young women, aged 17 and 22 years old, were shot on Tuesday night at the Póvoa e Meadas dam, in Castelo de Vide, in an alleged rape attempt.
The shooting suspect is a 74-year-old Spanish former soldier who was detained by the GNR.
The two women, who were spending the night at the dam, were approached by the suspect at 11:50 pm. Manolo, as the 74-year-old suspect is known, approached the girls near the water, tied them with plastic ties and tried to rape them, but one of them managed to free herself and raise the alarm.
Manolo fired two shots from a shotgun as the young women fled. When he realized that the authorities were after him, Manolo hid in the waters of the dam, but was quickly found by the GNR. The firearm was also seized.
He has lived for a few years in a campsite near the Póvoa e Meadas dam, in Castelo de Vide, and was known to cause trouble, but never of this severity.
Due to the gunshots, one of the victims suffered injuries to one hand as she tried to cover the barrels of the shotgun and the other was shot in the lower back. Assisted by firefighters and by the emergency services (INEM), they were taken to Portalegre hospital and then transferred to São José Hospital, in Lisbon. Their injuries are considered serious, but they are not life-threatening.
The suspect was detained at the GNR facilities in Nisa. He will appear at the first judicial interrogation this Thursday to learn about the coercive measures.
The investigation of the case, as it involved crimes of attempted murder and sexual nature, was taken over by the PJ.