The families of the six youngsters who died at Meco beach on December 15 last year have delivered a request to the Court of Almada to undertake another investigation into the case.
"Hopefully there will be a judgment and that João Gouveia (Dux), the sole survivor of the tragedy that occurred on the Meco beach in Sesimbra, will clarify all our doubts in court," said the mother of one of the students from the Lusophone University who died.
The families are desperate that the deaths of their children are investigated fully, believing as they do that the evidence has been suppressed and that the court case was massaged to save any embarassing investigations into the culture of freshers’ pranks at this University and others.
The families' appeal to the court in Almada is an attempt to get a judge to review the case, circumstances, evidence and investigation to decide once and for all whether there should have been a prosecution again Loulé resident João Gouveia, aka ‘Dux,’ who was in charge of COPA which organised the university pranks, or indeed against the university directorate itself which condoned the widespread initiation ceremonies, many of which may be dangerous.
In February 2014 the police were reportedly preparing to investigate Gouveia in what at the time they said would be a murder case. This did not happen.
Gouveia’s silence until the investigation came to court loaded him with suspicion but he stuck to the story that the deaths were just tragic accidents and nothing to do with academic induction ceremonies gone wrong.
The case went to court but was archived this summer, not the result the parents’ wanted and through lawyer Vítor Ribeiro they tried to get the investigation reheard despite the Public Ministry sticking to the official line that the drownings were accidental.
If the parents are successful at getting another hearing and a more incisive judge we may all get to hear what really went on at Meco beach.
