The Minas Gerais Court of Justice (TJMG) acquitted a 35-year-old man of statutory rape charges involving a 12-year-old girl, overturning a first-instance sentence of nine years and four months in prison. By majority, the panel accepted arguments that the pair had a consensual affective relationship with the family\u2019s approval and found the situation neither violent, coercive, fraudulent nor forced.<\/p>\n
The ruling also acquitted the girl\u2019s mother, described as complicit due to alleged family consent for the relationship. The decision diverged from the Brazilian Penal Code, which defines any sexual act with a minor under 14 as rape of a vulnerable person. The National Council of Justice (CNJ) immediately requested explanations from the state court, according to El Pais<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reporting judge noted that the girl intended to continue the relationship upon turning 14 and included praise of the accused. A dissenting opinion argued the child\u2019s vulnerability should have been protected under binding precedent that prohibits sexual acts with minors under 14 regardless of consent or family endorsement.<\/p>\n The man had admitted to police that he had sexual relations with the girl. The court\u2019s legal interpretation focused on its assessment that the relationship lacked violence, coercion, fraud, or force. As of the latest reporting, no one has been arrested.<\/p>\n The case began after the girl\u2019s absence from school triggered a report to the local child-protection council. She had left home following an argument with her father and went to a funk party. There, she consumed drugs and alcohol before going to the home of the 35-year-old neighbor identified as her boyfriend. She later sought medical attention with dizziness, tachycardia, vomiting, vaginal bleeding, and agitation. She received care at UPA Norte and was transferred to Hospital Odilon Behrens, a reference center for sexual-violence victims, where she underwent examinations and remained under observation.<\/p>\n