Lisbon sex abuse trial ends after 6 years

LISBON, Portugal, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Judges in Portugal have convicted six people of rape and running a pedophile ring at a state-run home for needy children in a trial lasting nearly six years.

Among those convicted Friday were a former driver and gardener at Lisbon's Casa Pia, who admitted to more than 600 crimes, including child sexual abuse and aggravated rape, The New York Times said Saturday.

Carlos Silvino also admitted to procuring children for others in exchange for money. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The trial involved the rapes and sexual abuse of 32 children who were residents of Casa Pia in Lisbon. The crimes occurred in the 1990s, but came to light in 2002 when a former resident accused Silvino of raping him, the newspaper said.

The former residents said they were raped and sexually abused during sex parties attended by prominent people, including a former television personality.

"This was a nightmare trial that left many people feeling that there would never be any sentencing," José Manuel Fernandes, a former newspaper editor, was quoted as saying by the Times.

The television anchor, Carlos Cruz, told euronews.net that he was innocent and would appeal his conviction.

"They have committed a huge injustice against me," Cruz told the Web site. "I think they've invented a monstrous lie."

A court in 2006 ordered the Portuguese government to pay more than $2.5 million to former residents of Casa Pia, saying it had failed to protect them.