British boy, 13, stabbed to death before suspect ‘blows up house’ in Portugal
A British teenager has been found dead in Portugal after allegedly being stabbed by his mother’s ex partner.
Portuguese police said they were called to the incident in the town of Casais, in the Tomar area of the country, on Tuesday at around midday after receiving reports of a domestic violence incident.
Portuguese outlet Diario de Noticias reported that the boy was allegedly attacked by the suspect before barricading himself inside a property.
The suspect then allegedly turned on the gas, causing a leak. The house blew up shortly afterwards, killing him and injuring a police officer and the boy’s mother.
Portuguese police said the mother ‘was found by authorities showing signs of having been restrained and assaulted, and was subsequently taken to the nearest hospital’.
They added: ‘Both the alleged assailant and the minor presented several injuries caused by a bladed weapon but, despite vital signs still being detectable, death was declared at the scene moments later.
‘Inside the house, there was a strong smell of gas which, moments later, resulted in an explosion that injured one of the GNR officers.
‘The alleged perpetrator had already served a prison sentence for aggravated homicide, and the family had been flagged following domestic violence cases registered in 2022 and 2023.’
An autopsy will soon take place, which will determine whether the boy lost his life from the stabbing or the explosion.
Luis Freire, president of the local parish council for Tomar’s Casais and Alviobeira areas, said authorities were aware of previous instances of domestic violence between the former couple.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: ‘We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Portugal, and stand ready to provide consular support.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.