A 71-year-old British woman has reported a sexual assault allegedly occurring after a massage session in Quarteira, Algarve, leading to the arrest of a 47-year-old masseur.
The incident was brought to the attention of the Portuguese police in the municipality of Loulé, where Quarteira is located.
A spokesman for Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária confirmed the arrest, saying, “Last Friday the Polícia Judiciária arrested a 47-year-old man strongly suspected of raping a 71-year-old foreign national at a massage center in the municipality of Loulé.”
The investigation led by the PJ’s Southern Directorate resulted in “very relevant evidence” according to the police.
They are now awaiting medical reports to complete the picture of the events.
A source from the investigation team revealed, “Police are also looking into the arrested man’s background to see if there have been prior cases involving this individual. In these kinds of cases, victims very often don’t go to police out of shame or trauma although for now the information police have been able to gather on the detainee don’t point to him having previous arrests or convictions in Portugal for any sex crimes.”
The accused has since appeared in court and was released on bail with strict conditions, including weekly sign-ins and a prohibition on contacting the alleged victim or her family.
