Officers from the Judicial Police have made an arrest in Madeira related to the Alvor acid attack that left a British travel rep seriously injured.
Cláudio Gouveia, Eleanor Chessell’s former lover, has been arrested for attempted homicide, according to a statement from the Portimão PJ.
Gouveia ‘sought revenge following the end of the relationship’ and ‘with the help of a third party, caused acid burns and severe injuries on several parts of her body on the night of May 6th, in the area of Alvor, Portimão,’ according to today's police statement.
The suspect, aged 34, has no employment but does have a criminal record. He will be up before the judicial authorities in Funchal to see whether he can be released on bail, which is unlikely due to the seriousness of the case.
The attack, in which two litres of acid were thrown over the victim, was an appalling and cowardly act that left Eleanor Chessell screaming in pain on a public road between Intermarché and the Hospital Particular in Alvor, Portimão.
Eleanor Chessell told police she had seen her attacker but did not recognise him, and that he had said “sorry” to her in Portuguese before throwing the acid over her.
The attack caused burns to about 60% of the British woman's chest, legs and arms. Eleanor Chessell was transferred to a specialist burns unit at a Lisbon hospital because of the extent and severity of the injuries.
Eleanor is a Tui travel rep and hails from Newport, Isle of Wight. She already had been transferred from an Albufeira hotel to the Hotel Alvor Baia due to harassment from her ex-boyfriend, based in Madeira, who had tracked her down.
A few days after the attack, Cláudio Gouveia spoke to the press from Madeira and denied having anything to do with the attack.
Gouveia told reporters that he “hasn’t been with Ellie for around three months” and said the attack could have been organised “by another ex-boyfriend.”
Talking to the British tabloids in May, Gouveia described Eleanor Chessell as “a really nice girl” and that he is praying for her recovery, calling her attacker “an animal.”
