Civil Police request arrest of priest in Ribeirão Preto, SP, for sexual crimes

Police ask for the arrest of priest suspected of harassing altar boys The Civil Police asked the Court for the temporary arrest of Father Mário Reis, removed from church activities in Bonfim Paulista, district of Ribeirão Preto (SP). The police investigation concluded that the religious man committed the crimes of rape of a vulnerable person and sexual harassment. The Public Prosecutor's Office will analyze whether or not to file a complaint against the priest. There is no deadline for the manifestation. The process takes place in secret. In a statement, lawyer Pedro Brichi Seixas dos Reis, who defends the religious man, reported that the conclusion of the investigation does not mean guilt and criticized the police investigation. "Due to the duty of clarification, it is noted that the final report of the police investigation does not constitute a formal accusation, nor does it constitute a judgment of guilt. It is an opinion piece, produced unilaterally in the investigative phase, without contradiction and without broad defense, whose conclusions are not binding on the Public Prosecutor's Office or the Judiciary." Father Mário Reis da Silveira, in Ribeirão Preto (SP), is the target of investigation after allegations of harassment. Reproduction/EPTV What the police found According to sources from the Women's Defense Police Station (DDM), content extracted by experts from the priest's cell phones reinforced reports from the victims heard in the investigation. Among the materials analyzed, there are exchanges of messages and images of an intimate nature involving minors, according to investigation sources. Throughout the investigation, at least six victims were interviewed by the police. The priest was also interrogated. In their statements, the victims reported episodes of touching private parts, kisses and attempted kisses. There were reports of situations that occurred approximately 20 years ago and others that were more recent, according to sources linked to the case. Since June this year, the report has spoken to some people who say they were victims. Some of them reported that the episodes occurred when the priest called them for private conversations after masses. Remember the case Mário Reis da Silveira was removed in March this year by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ribeirão Preto after complaints reached the Civil Police and the Church itself. At the time, the Archdiocese reported that it had launched a preliminary investigation and suspended the priest from all ecclesiastical offices. This article is being updated