Man accused of killing his father can leave his house to work and see the doctor
The court in Faro has authorised a young man who is under house arrest, accused of stabbing his father to death, to travel to work and see a doctor.
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MaurĂcio Cavaco was 19 years old when the crime took place in December 2023 at the family home, in the village of Várzea do Vinagre, Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo, in the district of Faro. The young man allegedly intervened to defend his mother from an episode of domestic violence, stabbing his 63 year old father to death.
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The young man is being tried by a jury in Faro.
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“We believe that you need to work and go to the doctor, at your own expense,” said the president of the panel of judges during yesterday’s session of the trial, noting that the authorisation “does not mean that it is an anticipation of the final decision.”
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The authorisation granted will allow the young man to leave his aunt's house, where he is under house arrest, strictly only to attend his future workplace and for psychological monitoring.
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The young man's defense lawyer told Lusa news agency that she had already requested in December 2024 permission for the young man to be authorised to work, so that he could be “minimally integrated into society”, which had been denied.
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The change of opinion of the group of judges and the jury court resulted from them hearing conclusions of the psychiatrist who carried out an examination of the young man a month after the crime. The specialist from Faro Hospital recalled that he diagnosed the accused with “post-traumatic stress, depressive disorder and anxiety disorder”, based on “a series” of emotional and affective instabilities.
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The psychiatrist considered that the young man “is a broken person, in terms of self-esteem”, and that he had “disturbed memories”, blaming himself for the act and attributing the role of victim to his father, which would result from the “chronic stress” to which he was allegedly subjected.
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According to the expert, at the time of the crime, the “self-defense situation” implied “the reduction in the assessment of the consequences of an aggression of such caliber” and “the complete nullification of the assessment of the unlawfulness” of the act.
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The doctor argued that the young man, if not treated, could have “more explosive” attitudes and reactions and “more unpredictable” behaviour, although he warned that he would be “more dangerous against himself” than against other people, and, when asked by the defense if he would be a danger to society, as long as he was treated, he responded negatively.
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The defense highlighted to Lusa that the psychiatrist's testimony accentuated what he himself had already described in the forensic report submitted to the court, which “considered the absence of the subjective element of guilt”, that is, “that he had no intention of committing the illicit act”.
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However, the court ordered a new psychiatric examination to be carried out, “so that there are no doubts whatsoever”, according to the president of the panel of judges.
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The court wants to determine, among other issues, whether at the time of the events the defendant had a psychological anomaly that could have disturbed the assessment of the unlawfulness of the act, and whether he had the capacity to understand the consequences of that act.
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The trial will resume on March 12th, to hear the nurse and the doctor from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies who helped the young man's father and for the final arguments.
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In the first session of the trial, on January 9th, MaurĂcio Cavaco admitted to the crime, having been the one to call the national emergency number, but said he did not remember the moment he struck the first blow and the rest, at a time when his mother had already left the house to ask the neighbours for help.
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The young man reported that he had never thought about killing his father, describing him as a violent person and saying that, for at least the last 10 years, he and his mother had been the target of constant insults, humiliations and threats from the man, who even threatened to kill his wife.
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The young man is under house arrest at his aunt's house, after having spent a few months in prison awaiting the procedures for placing an electronic bracelet.
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Last year, several hundred people signed a petition for the young man's release, claiming that he was a victim of mistreatment, and that he does not pose a danger to society.
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Luz de Tavira: lack of family doctors puts patients at risk
As in other areas of the Algarve, the lack of a family doctor is leaving the population of Luz de Tavira unprotected, warned elected members of the Parish Council today in the Assembly of the Republic, who launched a petition demanding answers for more than 3,000 residents.
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The president of the Union of Parishes of Luz de Tavira and Santo Estêvão, Jorge Francisco Silva (PS), and his rival Ângelo Gonçalves (PSD), were today side by side in the Parliamentary Health Committee to be heard as promoters of the petition “For family doctors at the Luz de Tavira health centre”, which collected 905 signatures demanding a second doctor for the local health centre, after being left with only one doctor when the other retired.
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Although the number of signatories did not reach the 1000 required for petitioners to be heard in a hearing in Parliament, rapporteur Dinis FaĂsca (PSD) explained that, “given the subject”, it was “of utmost importance and in the interest of all parliamentary groups” to hear the arguments so that solutions can be found to resolve the problem, and to strengthen assistance in the parish.
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“The population is aging, it needs more health care than the younger population and, at certain times, such as in May, due to agricultural activities, the population almost triples”, warned Ângelo Gonçalves, who spoke for the authors of the petition, warning that “a single family doctor is not enough, much less when the population almost triples”.
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Ângelo Gonçalves defended the need to increase the medical response to the population and gave tyesterday as an example, a day when the population was left without any doctor because the only doctor in the area “couldn’t go to work” due to illness. The alternative is going to the municipal headquarters or to Santo Estêvão, where there are only consultations two or three times a week, in the morning!
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“Today, the population has not had any kind of family doctor. What we are asking for is to look at the town of Luz de Tavira, at the Centro de Saúde do Mar, so that it can provide a capable response to the needs of the population”, he appealed, stressing that the majority of the population has few resources and lacks transport to travel to either Tavira or Santo Estêvão.
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Present at the hearing, in addition to the rapporteur deputy, Dinis FaĂsca, were deputies Jamila Madeira (PS) and Sandra Silva (Chega), who also agreed on the need to find solutions that meet the wishes of the petitioners and the population.
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Jamila Madeira stated that the lack of doctors “is a very common problem” in the Algarve and the specific problem in Luz de Tavira was that the “retirement of a doctor led to an additional shortage” of clinicians.
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Sandra Silva, from Chega, said that the problem has been “going on for a long time” and sided with the petitioners, stating that one doctor “is not enough” and that solutions need to be found to help a population that is without assistance and that, according to Ângelo Gonçalves, is often forced to resort to the private sector that operates in Luz de Tavira, to receive assistance without leaving the area.
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Man attempts to murder his wife in front of their son
A 32 year old man arrested was arrested las Thursday, for allegedly trying to kill his wife in the presence of their son, at their home in Silves.
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According to the police report, the events took place in the morning, when the woman was sleeping, with the attacker using a kitchen knife to “stab her in the neck area”.
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“The attack was witnessed by the couple’s son who, by screaming, managed to stop the attack,” the statement says.
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The woman required urgent hospital care, and although she is now in a “stable condition", is still under "intensive medical surveillance.”
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The Judicial Police (PJ) arrested the man for attempted qualified homicide, domestic violence and possession of a prohibited weapon, committed on the morning of January 30th 2025.
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The detainee was brought to his first judicial interrogation, and the judge ruled that the suspect will be held in preventive detention.
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OlhĂŁo: construction of new roundabout requires 4 month traffic diversion
This week, Olhão City Council is starting road works on Avenida D. João VI, at the intersection with Rua Dâmaso da Encarnação and Rua 18 de Junho, which include the construction of a roundabout in the area known as Quatro Estradas.
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The project represents a municipal investment of around 600,000 euros and is expected to last four months.
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The works will cause traffic restrictions, meaning vehicles will need to use an alternative route (see map below).
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“Once completed, the roundabout will provide greater fluidity to traffic on all arteries in that area, and will offer better safety conditions for pedestrians”, guarantees Olhão council.
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The number of lanes is expected to increase, the parking area will remain, the pedestrian pathways and lighting will be improved, ecological islands will be implemented, and the entire area will be landscaped.
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The mayor, António Miguel Pina, says that “this is a long-awaited intervention and that, once completed, and together with the new Variante and the end of tolls on Via do Infante, it will be the starting point for a more in-depth requalification, which will return the avenue to the people of Olhão, ceasing to be a connecting artery between Barlavento and Sotavento, as is the case today”.
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Work on the new São Brás de Alportel Family Health Unit begins
Today, January 3rd, the first stone of the new Family Health Unit (USF) of São Brás de Alportel has been laid, the start of a project costing more than two million euros.
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The health unit will have six medical offices, nursing and treatment rooms, spaces suitable for maternal and child health and administrative and logistical areas.
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“This is an investment that aims to improve the quality of life of São Bras residents, reducing inequalities and offering better conditions for healthcare professionals”, says the São Brás de Alportel council.
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The new Family Health Unit (USF) is expected to start operating later this year.
