A 58-year-old football coach was arrested red-handed this Wednesday (4), in Poá, suspected of sexually abusing at least three 12-year-old teenagers. According to the Civil Police, the man threatened the victims to prevent them from telling their family members about the abuse.
The suspect was identified as Joelmiton Francisco dos Santos. g1 tries to locate his defense. According to the police report, he remained silent during the interrogation.
The case was discovered after the father of one of the teenagers became suspicious of changes in his son's behavior and decided to attend a football training session. During the activity, he noticed that the boy had entered the locker room and that the coach had gone after him.
Upon entering the place, the father found his son messing with his shorts, next to the coach. When asked what was happening, the suspect denied any wrongdoing. However, the victim told her father that she had been suffering sexual abuse for months.
According to the report, the coach threatened the boy to prevent him from revealing the abuse to his family. The suspect said he could kill the teenager's family members and that he wouldn't be able to play for big teams if he told them what was happening.
The Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) was called. Before the agents arrived, the suspect was attacked by people nearby and fled into a wooded area.
The guards managed to locate the man, who was taken to medical care due to the attacks. After being released, he was taken to the Poá Police Station.
In a statement, the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) confirmed the arrest in the act on suspicion of rape of a vulnerable person and reported that the man was available to the courts. The ministry also stated that other details will be preserved due to the nature of the incident.
After the arrest, other parents began to question their children about possible situations of abuse involving the coach. At least three families contacted the police station to report the cases.
One of the mothers said that her son had been training football for more than two years. During this period, she was surprised by the coach's behavior, who used to give the boy shoes and clothes used in sporting activities.
According to the statement, the woman even questioned the coach about the gifts and heard that the boy had a future in football.
The mother also talked to her son about the coach's possible inappropriate behavior, but the boy always denied it.
After learning about the arrest, she questioned him again. The boy started crying and reported that he had been abused since the beginning of this year.
According to the mother, the coach threatened the boy, saying that his family had already killed people and that he could do the same if the abuse was revealed.
The woman also reported to the police that the last abuse had occurred on Tuesday (3), after football training.
Joelmiton was charged with rape of a vulnerable person, aggravated by exercising authority over the victim.
According to police records, the suspect exercised his constitutional right to remain silent during interrogation.
The Civil Police asked the Court to convert the arrest into preventative arrest. In the representation, the delegate argued that the measure is necessary to guarantee public order and prevent the person being investigated from committing crimes again or trying to intimidate victims and witnesses.
The police also requested the collection of biological material from the suspect to obtain and store his genetic profile.
The teenagers were not formally interviewed at the police station to avoid revictimization. The legislation provides for special procedures for collecting statements from children and adolescents who are victims of violence.
Expert examinations were requested, and the Guardianship Council was notified.
