'Santa Claus' arrested in a shopping mall in Lages is convicted of raping a vulnerable person The man arrested while acting as Santa Claus in a shopping mall in Lages, in Serra de Santa Catarina, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping a vulnerable person. Information about the sentence was released by the Court of Justice (TJSC) on Tuesday (21). The crime was discovered in November 2025, when he was detained. At the age of 67, the man was arrested by the Department for the Protection of Children, Adolescents, Women and the Elderly (Dpcami) for raping a girl under the age of 14 on more than one occasion. According to the Civil Police, the crime occurred in 2025 (watch above). ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Another defendant was also convicted In the same case against "Santa Claus", another man, a relative of the victim, was also sentenced to 23 years and four months in prison. This is because, during the investigations, it was found that he had also sexually abused the same victim since 2024. In the sentence, the magistrate denied the two defendants the right to appeal freely. The process is being carried out in secret from the courts. The names of those convicted and other details were not provided. Man dressed as Santa Claus is arrested for raping a vulnerable person What is known and what remains to be known about the case What the mall said At the time of the arrest, the mall stated that it had terminated the contract with the then suspect and expressed "absolute repudiation of any conduct that compromises the integrity of its customers". The administration said that the crime would not have occurred on the premises (full at the end of the text). In addition to the arrest, civil police officers carried out a search and seizure warrant at the suspect's residence. Electronic equipment was collected and investigated. Lula sanctions law on vulnerability in cases of rape of minors Santa Claus is arrested for raping a vulnerable person in a mall in SC Civil Police/ Disclosure Who is considered vulnerable? Under Brazilian legislation, the following are considered vulnerable: children under 14; people who, due to illness, mental disability or any other cause, lack discernment; people who cannot offer resistance. According to the government, the proposal was presented after court decisions that would have relativized vulnerability based on factors such as previous relationships or pregnancy. How do I request help and make reports? Civil Police WhatsApp: (48) 98844-0011 Virtual police station: policeofficevirtual.sc.gov.br Dial 100 or via number 182 Military Police: 190 What the mall said at the time of the arrest "The Lages Shopping Center was surprised by the information released yesterday regarding an investigation conducted under secrecy by the Civil Police of the State of Santa Catarina, which resulted in the arrest of the professional hired to act as Santa Claus in the Christmas scenario of Shopping Given the facts, Lages Shopping Center expresses its absolute repudiation of any conduct that compromises the integrity of its customers, especially children and families who frequent our establishment. We emphasize that the Civil Police's action did not result from any incident that occurred on the shopping mall's premises, and was carried out without any official communication to the enterprise due to the secrecy imposed on the investigation. Furthermore, we highlight that the contracting was carried out in strict compliance with the legality and integrity that guide our operations, and the Mall has already terminated the contract immediately and remains at the disposal of the police authorities to contribute to the smooth running of official investigations, as appropriate. Lages Shopping reaffirms its commitment to safety, transparency and protection of all consumers and thanks the Civil Police for their prompt action." VIDEOS: most watched on g1 SC in the last 7 days