WATCH: Husband found not guilty of wife's murder

Friday 01 February 2019

The family of a 60-year-old man accused of strangling his wife with a pair of his daughter's leggings applauded as he was found 'not guilty' of the offence.

Alfredo Da Costa Rebelo (60) broke into tears as he was told of the finding in the Royal Court following a four-day murder trial.

He had been charged with strangling his wife, Ana (51), in a fit of rage upon learning that she had been having a 10-year affair with another man.

Mr Rebelo denied the charge.

Video: Mr Rebelo's defence lawyer, Advocate Julian Gollop, speaking after the verdict.

The court heard that Ana had been found dead in her daughter's bed with bruises and cuts to her face, as well as swelling, a symptom of death due to asphyxiation.

A pathologist said that there were few signs of her struggling, and that there was a possibility it could have been a suicide.

Mr Rebelo was said to have been the first to discover her, but did not call the emergency services immediately. Instead, he went to town, which he said was in order to find family members.

An ambulance was eventually called by one of his sons. Upon arrival, paramedics saw Ana's injuries and deemed her death suspicious. They called the police who attended shortly after.

Pictured: Crown Advocate Howard Sharp was leading the prosecution against Mr Rebelo.

Speaking after the Royal Court handed down its verdict, Advocate Julian Gollop said on behalf of his client: "...He always said he was innocent, which is what he said in the first interview to the police and he’s now relieved that he has been proven innocent and he’s looking forward now to going back to members of his family and getting on with his life."

The trial saw the Royal Court - presided over by the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, sitting with Jurats Jane Ronge and Jerry Ramsden - hear from a number of witnesses, including the paramedics that found the victim, and two forensic pathologists.

The Crown Advocate, Howard Sharp, told Court that Mr Rebelo had "lost his temper" after learning Ana had been having an affair with another man. He then alleged he had hit her in the face, causing cuts to her lips, before strangling her.

He described Mr Rebelo's behaviour the morning of Ana's death as not being that of an innocent man, arguing that Mr Rebelo had lied to his family telling them that Ana was sick and needed to go to hospital when she was in fact dead.

Pictured: Advocate Julian Gollop defended Rebelo.

Advocate Julian Gollop rejected most of the prosecution’s arguments describing them as speculation. He said there was no evidence that Mr Rebelo knew about Ana’s affair, adding that he had visibly struggled upon learning that the wife he had been married to for over 30 years had been unfaithful. He also said there was no evidence of an argument or that Ana and Mr Rebelo had talked about her affair. “They loved each other,” he said.

“The prosecution is trying to paint a picture of homicide in which some features do not fit,” Advocate Gollop said. He added that the daughter’s evidence “did not fit the jigsaw puzzle of homicide the prosecution is trying to construct".

He described Mr Rebelo as “a man of good character and a loving father” who would never have exposed his daughter to the trauma of finding her mother dead in her own bed.

Mr Rebelo maintained his innocence throughout the trial, but declined to give evidence on the witness stand.

Pictured: The finding followed a four-day Royal Court trial.h

His eventual appearance in court came after a lengthy investigation, during which police officers carried out overs 7,000 hours of overtime to find out what happened to his wife.

Mr Rebelo was charged in November 2017, seven months after Ana's death. He was then committed to Royal Court for a trial. 

The father was noticeably emotional when told of the finding, while members of his family applauded. He had been in custody since April 2018.

His advocate, Julian Gollop, applied for costs.

Following the verdict, the Police issued a statement saying they respected the Jurats' decision.

Pictured: Mr Rebelo spent months in custody before his trial, which eventually led to him being cleared of the charges.

They maintained they had carried out "a thorough and comprehensive investigation" into Ana’s death "with the support of a range of experts, before passing a full file of evidence to the Law Officers Department for consideration of charge".

The force say they will be reviewing the Royal Court's full judgement when they receive it.