Seven guilty in Portugal children's home sex abuse saga
A television presenter and retired ambassador are among seven people convicted of child sex abuse in Portugal after a trial that lasted nearly six years.
The six men and one woman sexually abused minors and adolescents, raped children and ran a paedophile ring at a state-run children's home in Lisbon during the Nineties.
Chief prosecutor Miguel Matias said the court was due to hand down sentences later. The seven have the right to appeal.
The main defendant was Carlos Silvino, a 53-year-old former driver at the Casa Pia. He confessed to more than 600 crimes and incriminated the other defendants, who maintained their innocence throughout the trial.
They included Carlos Cruz, a television presenter for three decades, and Jorge Ritto, a decorated career diplomat and former Unesco ambassador.
Three other men were also convicted of child sex abuse, including a doctor and a former Casa Pia ombudsman, Manuel Abrantes, who said the allegations wrecked his career and family life.
A 68-year-old woman, Gertrudes Nunes, was found guilty of providing her house for meetings between the children and alleged paedophiles.
The trial, believed to be Portugal's longest, included testimony from more than 800 witnesses and experts, including 32 alleged victims.
The abuse centred on Casa Pia, a 230-year-old institution caring for roughly 4,500 children, most of them living in its dormitories around the capital.
The case shook public trust in the country's institutions when the allegations emerged in 2002. The protracted trial has also brought anger about Portugal's slow legal system.
Casa Pia "shared some of the blame" for the crimes because it failed to detect them, Ana Peres, the lead judge, told the court.
Alvaro Carvalho, a psychiatrist who has counselled the victims and was in court with them, said they were nervous as they awaited the verdict.
"They calmed down when the judge ruled that the crimes were proven. In a way, it's society making reparation for what happened to them."
