Brazil: terreiro leader sentenced to nine years, court finding he exploited the 'spiritual ascendancy' he held over a thirteen-year-old attendee

Proceedings

1. Date in cited record · conviction and sentence

   2ª Vara Criminal e 2º Juizado Especial Criminal de Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Marcos Henrique da Silva Santos was convicted of the rape of a vulnerable minor and sentenced to 9 years, 7 months and 6 days' imprisonment in the initially closed regime, with R$10,000 in moral damages. The victim was 13 at the time of the first offence in July 2016; she attended the religious centre where the acts occurred, accompanying her parents, who were themselves members of the community. The abuse was reported to authorities in 2023. The court found that the defendant 'se aproveitou da relação de confiança e da ascendência espiritual que exercia sobre a vítima' — exploited the relationship of trust and the spiritual ascendancy he held over the victim.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• spiritual ascendancy over the victim, expressly found by the sentencing court
• relationship of trust with the girl's family, who were themselves members of the religious centre