Rui Pedro´s update

I pray the father's belief is true and he gets his son back.

He might have had a better chance if the PJ hadn't waited 48 hours before they accepted that he was missing, just as they did with Joana Cipriano, Tony.

And we all know how they 'solved' that.

I wonder if that is why Gonc did naff-all when he was first told Madeleine was missing? Good job her parents did raise a hue and cry.

I agree with Rui Pedro´s dad.

Always should look for a living child who was also abducted.

I agree with crazytony, bb1.

I won't pretend to understand the details of Portuguese law; perhaps Pedro can help? But it is reading rather as if the case may collapse because, whatever the Portuguese equivalent is of Miranda-ising a suspect is, the PJ failed to do it properly?

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/portugal/caso-rui-pedro-silencio-pode-salvar-afonso-de-uma-condenacao


Trial: Statements by the defendant in the PJ can not be taken into account

If Rui Pedro: Silence can save a conviction of Alfonso

Silence in court may save Afonso Dias of a possible sentence for the kidnapping of Rui Pedro, who disappeared from Lousada thirteen years ago. The refusal to testify will lead to the defendant, 34, does not have to explain before the panel of judges of the Court of Lousada what you did later when the boy disappeared. Such justifications that led to what the driver became the prime suspect in the disappearance, can not be taken into account at trial.



The accused, aged 34, is accused of having kidnapped Rui Pedro thirteen years ago

This fact seems to be the defense of Alfonso in recent years. Testified twice during the process, but when the Judicial Police of the Port called a third time, refused to testify.
The work of the prosecutors will thus be very difficult, so the testimony of minors who have seen Rui Pedro, who was 11 at the time, into the car of Alfonso and the prostitute who was with the child will be key to the judge's decision.
Besides the testimony, the prosecution relies primarily on the contradictions of Alfonso. The explanations that the accused gives what he did in the afternoon when the lowest disappeared are not plausible for the prosecution. This is because the trucker was always alone and sitting in the car. The defendant's own girlfriend, who he married but also surprised by the fact that having gone early to his house.

DO NOT WANT TO PUT THE EVENT"

The family of Rui Pedro do not even want to put the hypothesis that the trucker remain silent at trial and get rid of a possible conviction. Keep the hope that it will speak before the judges and who will have to justify in detail all the steps it has taken on the day the child disappeared.
"I thought he was obliged to speak, she knew she could not remain silent. But I do not want to put this hypothesis, he has to tell the truth about what happened," said CM Manuel Mendonca, father of the child, showing concern for the Afonso fact have the right to refuse to tell what he did.

=======================

I have to say, this comment is disgraceful and disgusting:

Comment made ​​by: Jorge Perestrelo Alarcão8:43 a.m.
I only ask for parents cool head ... not spoil your life over, if it is possible to have life after what happened ...

My friends, I received this through google alert:

http://www.rtp.pt/noticias/index.php?t=E-muito-importante-que-este-caso-Rui-Pedro-tenha-chegado-a-julgamento-diz-a-Associacao-Criancas-Desaparecidas.rtp&article=500499&layout=10&visual=3&tm=8

It is very important that this case Rui Pedro has come to trial, says the Association Missing Children

It is very important that this case Rui Pedro has come to trial, says the Association Missing Children

The disappearance of Rui Pedro, in March 1998 in Lousada, "radically changed the way the authorities view the missing children," Margarida Uva Barroso, President of the Portuguese Association of Missing Children (APCD) said today.

"It's very important that this case has come to trial," the person in charge of the association told to the journalists , on the steps of the Court of Lousada, adding that "since the case of Rui Pedro, much has changed in terms of procedures."

"Unfortunately, Rui Pedro's mother was extremely isolated because at the time did not know how to proceed in these cases," continued Margarida Barroso, who followed the case closely with the family of the boy missing for thirteen years.

The most recent case of Madeleine McCann came "still give a new perspective on these cases of disappearance," the president considered the APCD, to conclude that "since the Portuguese society was much more concerned about these cases and the police much more alert and ready to collaborate with other civil society organizations, such as the Portuguese Association for Missing Children's Institute or Child Support. "

"When my husband was elected president of the European Commission," told Margarida Barroso, "I attended a conference in Brussels organized by Queen Paula of Belgium of the European Federation for Missing Children and from that moment I joined the Federation and the International Centre for Missing Children "he said.

"Since then," continued the president of the APCD, "the Federation has been trying to figure out what is the disappearance of leaks and distinguish the parental kidnapping and third parties, as the case of Rui Pedro, as it seems."

Margarida Barroso, since the disappearance of the boy lousadense, then eleven years in Lousada, developed "a Europe-wide search for a harmony between the laws and procedures at the police."

To the wife of Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, the expectation regarding the trial is "simply that justice is done."

"Nobody wants to condemn an innocent," she told to the press, "and no one came here to find a culprit to full strength. If indeed Afonso Dias is guilty, then there is sufficient evidence to convict him," she stated.

"Glad to hear anyone looking at the process again and realized that there were grounds for prosecution", called the president of the APCD, "because there are many indications, as to the evidence, we'll see."

My friends, I received this through google alert:

http://www.rtp.pt/noticias/?t=Desaparecimento-de-Rui-Pedro-chega-a-Tribunal-13-anos-depois.rtp&article=500432&visual=3&layout=10&tm=8

Trial
Disappearance of Rui Pedro arrives at Court 13 years later

One of the most publicized disappearance in Portugal, the young 11 year old Rui Pedro, happened to March 4, 1998, opens a new chapter today with the start of the trial of Afonso Dias, accused of kidnapping the teenager, who this morning will be its first session at the Court of Lousada. A trial will drag on for several weeks compared to about 70 witnesses presented by the family of ten children and the defense present.

13 years have passed, and finally, the family of Pedro Rui can see light at the end of the tunnel on the reasons that led to the disappearance of the young with the start of the trial of Afonso Dias, the sole defendant in this process and who is accused of kidnapping the March 4, 1998.

It is not known if the only defendant in this case will speak at the hearing, but Ricardo Sá Fernandes, lawyer for the family of Rui Pedro, has said that the testimony of Afonso Dias can be crucial to determine what happened to the child that day.

Given the number of witnesses presented by the family of Rui Pedro and the defense is likely that the trial took place over several weeks and the Court has scheduled about a dozen sessions, most recently on 14 December, although Ricardo Sá Fernandes , representing the family of Rui Pedro, has already said he expected to be required between 12 to 15 sessions to complete the trial.

Awaits with anticipation the first session and the statements of some witnesses, including inspectors who participated in the investigation, whose clarification may be crucial for the production of evidence at the hearing.

It was June 6 this year it was determined that Afonso Dias, 35, should be put on trial for having "evidence and objective signs" of a crime of kidnapping qualified with the indictment of judge Santos Moreira consider that the evidence contained in the indictment indicate that the defendant "created a misleading way," Rui Pedro conditions to lead the parish of Lustosa to meet with a prostitute.

On the basis of the judge's decision are statements made by some kids who said they had seen Rui Pedro to speak, near the High School of Lousada, with the defendant on the day of the disappearance, and the prosecution holds the "strong probability" Afonso Dias, then 21 years, have led the minor for a sexual encounter with prostitutes.

After that, Rui Pedro was never seen again, despite efforts that stretched from abroad and had the help of Interpol.

So where has this evidence been lurking for all of these years?

That you, Pedro, I am going to move your posts about Rui Pedro into the thread about him in our main forum, as I don't want the information to get missed, it is an important story.

Thank you bb1, you welcome.

My friends, another update:

http://www.rtp.pt/noticias/?t=Acusado-do-rapto-de-Rui-Pedro-recusou-prestar-declaracoes-no-inicio-do-julgamento.rtp&article=500514&visual=3&layout=10&tm=8

Accused of the kidnapping of Rui Pedro refused to comment at the beginning of the trial

The man accused of kidnapping Rui Pedro, the child of Lousada who disappeared on March 4, 1998, refused today in the first session of the trial, to testify in court.

Afonso Dias, 35, accused of a qualified crime of kidnap, said that "at this moment, not wanted to talk" to the collective.

Previously, Ricardo Sá Fernandes, the lawyer of Rui Pedro´s family, reaffirmed that the assistants just want to know what happened to their son on "that fateful day."

"What parents desires the most is that they can find their son still alive and to know what happened that day, even on the set of possible death," said Ricardo Sá Fernandes.

According to the lawyer, it was important for parents to "know it" to "able to mourn."

The lawyer maintained that the evidence which the prosecution, incriminating Afonso Dias are "solid, consistent and congruent", namely that the accused who was solicited and took Rui Pedro, then 11 years, to an encounter with a prostitute, after which was never seen again.

Ricardo Sá Fernandes also censored the lack of "cooperation, to establish the facts," of Afonso in the process, insisting that the assistants still have hope, that from the eventual trial testimony of the accused, "to light out" about what happened to Rui Pedro.

The lawyer concluded that if proven at a hearing of the facts contained in the indictment, the defendant, "the severity of his behavior, she hould be severely condemned."

"It must be punished, because what you did was very serious," he said, turning to Afonso Dias.

The defense, through the lawyer Paulo Gomes, reaffirmed that the evidence contained in the indictment are not enough of them and many questions arise.

The lawyer acknowledged the suffering of the parents of missing child, but also alluded to what is felt "a man who may have nothing" to do with the disappearance of Rui Pedro.

Paulo Gomes in the court reaffirmed the conviction that his client is innocent, insisting that it will hit an audience that "the truth is ascertained the facts."

The beginning of the session was marked by the analysis of several requests made by the defense, including one that asked to be allowed by the court the absence of the accused during the trial. The defense claimed that, professionally, was too complicated for Afonso Dias, driver, absent from work for several weeks.

The court did not respond to the request because it did not fit in some of the situations that the law requires to justify the absence of defendants at the hearing.

The court also rejected the defense request about the possibility of reporting a prosecutor who participated in the process in the period following the disappearance of Rui Pedro.

The collective found not to be allowed the questioning as a witness in the trial, a magistrate to have been involved in the process, although in its early stages.

The hearing will resume in the afternoon for the examination of dozens of witnesses presented by the prosecution.

The start of the trial was also marked by the presence of many popular that filled the courtroom of the court of Lousada.

Thanks for the update, Pedro - I get the impression that the matter is not as simple as it seems to be at first?

The court of Lousada took a look today at the place where several children have seen 13 years ago, Rui Pedro entering the vehicle suspected of being the alleged kidnapper who is in court at this location.

In this investigation, the collective, accompanied by the prosecutor (PM) and by defense lawyers and family questioned in Lousada Preparatory School, one of the witnesses who at the time went on trial studying the establishment where Rui Pedro studied
.
Daniel Costa, one of five witnesses who said in the process the he had seen Rui Pedro with the defendant on the day of the disappearance - March 8, 1998 - reaffirmed today, visiting the school, which had said earlier in the courtroom.

The witness, now 24, spoke at the place where, on the day of disappearance, saw Rui Pedro. Daniel Costa, with other colleagues, played the ball into the school grounds and there saw Rui Pedro, cycling, on land outside the fence of the school.

The witness assured the court that Rui Pedro was seen next to a black car, small on a dirt road in a place now occupied by an apartment building a few dozen meters from the fence of the school.

Like other former colleagues had said on Wednesday in a hearing, the witness said he saw Rui Pedro enter the car and the driver believed to have been Afonso Dias, the sole defendant in this process.
The current head of the school, which at the material was already teaching, the court confirmed that in that place, formerly a greenhouse, the students used to play football, although not an appropriate space for this purpose.

However, it was unclear whether the site of care was possible to observe the exact point where the bike has been found allegedly owned by Rui Pedro.

In the end, family lawyers and the defense found it useful that approach, because the court allowed a better perception of where the facts have been abundantly contained in the process.

This step, required by the Assistant, was admitted by the court because the witness will leave on Saturday to France, where he lives and works.

The beginning of the third session of this trial session was marked by the fact that the wife of the defendant, following a statement of defense, refused to testify, a right provided for family members of defendants witnesses.

The trial resumes on Friday with hearing a few more witnesses presented by the prosecution.

The defendant is only present in the morning because the afternoon will undergo an expertise in Penafiel, requested by the defense, to determine his current psychological conditions.

Moved to keep all threads together.

You´re right bb1.