A man who was subject to an arrest warrant for the rape of a teenager in the Azores was detained in the Algarve, following an incident related to the sexual harassment of minors, the Judicial Police reported on Monday, as cited by Lusa. Meanwhile, the Jornal de Notícias revealed the identity of the detainee: Marco Caneira, son of the popular singer Ágata (the stage name of Maria Fernanda Pereira de Sousa), who has a six and a half year prison sentence to serve for a crime committed in 2016.
The arrest occurred after the GNR (National Republican Guard) of Castro Marim received a report about a man allegedly sexually harassing two underage girls. In statements to Lusa, a police source indicated that the man initially provided a false identity. After contacting the PJ, the local authorities confirmed the identity of the suspect, who had the arrest warrant pending, as stated in the Judiciary’s statement. The detainee was taken to the Faro Prison Facility, where he will remain for now, Lusa adds.
Marco Caneira, 44 years old, was convicted in 2018 by the Ponta Delgada Court for the rape of a 14-year-old girl in 2016. The crime, it was detailed at the time, occurred on September 18, in the facilities of the parish of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, in Povoação (S. Miguel), at the end of a popular festival that took place in the Azorean locality. In the same year, he was ordered to pay ten thousand euros in damages to a former girlfriend after a homemade sex video of the two was leaked online without her knowledge or consent. At that time, it was not proven that he distributed the video, but he was found guilty of being negligent in safeguarding it.
Meanwhile, after the conviction in the Azores, Marco Caneira appealed, and his sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in 2019. He also tried to overturn the decision, but without success. Now, in addition to serving six years and six months of effective prison time, the former businessman will be investigated regarding the complaints lodged against him in Castro Marim.