The Lisbon Local Criminal Court sentenced the affected Joana Mascarenhas – who claimed last year that her daughter, who was three and a half years old at the time, was immersed in cold water so that the child would stop crying – to a prison sentence of two one year and six months, suspended. in his application, for the crime of domestic violence. The news is promoted by News Journalsays the 36-year-old striker’s defense will appeal, information the lawyers also confirmed to the Observer.
The court proved two incidents that she made public in a video published on Instagram, where she said that in order to stop her daughter’s tantrums, she submerged her daughter in cold water with her clothes on – which caused a lot of criticism and accused of abuse on social media.
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One of these moments happened in May 2023, when the accused, who was 35 years old at the time, and her daughter were near the swimming pool in the building where they live, in Lisbon. The child was crying loudly, and the mother picked him up and submerged him in the pool up to his chin.
The second incident happened during the early hours of the morning. The girl was wearing her pajamas in the bathtub at home with cold water. Also with the aim of stopping a tantrum.
According to JN, the influence in court confirmed what she said on Instagram, insisting that she only meant to comfort her daughter and not to harm her, even saying that she has not done it again since then . For the court, the justification was not valid. The presiding judge also said that the girl only stopped crying when her mother acted like that, because “she was scared”: “It’s a kind of hard work. […] It is not a way of caring.”
One of the incidents that supported the charge, called in September, was precisely the swimming pool. It happened in May 2023 and, according to the Public Ministry, “the child gave up the tantrum” because he was scared.
Influencer goes on trial for dousing his daughter in cold water when the child was throwing tantrums
In the complaint, the MP claimed that the defendant, by acting as she did, was trying to “physically and mentally” humiliate her daughter, subjecting her to undignified, unexpected treatment that could cause to cause her cold, thermal shock, discomfort, distress and fear”.
Joana Mascarenhas’ defense said the allegation of domestic violence is unfair and she is sure to appeal the court’s decision, which she accused of “ignoring essential evidence” and of treating the process “with contempt”. .
In a statement sent to Observador, the lawyers say that the client was forced to “call investigative agents to a trial that the Public Ministry chose not to listen to, deliberately omitting statements that would confirm their version of the facts.”
Our client will appeal the sentence, certain that a higher court will restore the truth based on the evidence presented objectively in the case”, says the Defense.
“The decision was based on a distorted passage from a video on social media, ignoring all the evidence collected by the police authorities during the investigation, confirming, on many occasions, that the behavior and interaction of the minor and her mother in really calm and quite happy”, they emphasize.
The lawyers also say that at no time did the accused intend to harm the minor and make her suffer”, adding that it was shown that the relationship between the client and her daughter “is one of the closest and very fond.”
“All the witnesses confirmed the genuine care our client takes for her daughter, who was always safe and protected in her mother’s womb. However, the court ignored this evidence and issued a sentence that appears to be based more on personal judgments than facts, with all due respect,” they say.