GNR soldier convicted of abandoning his post to go see the captain he was dating

The soldier was sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence for having abandoned her post to hand over her house keys to the Detachment Commander, with whom she has a romantic relationship.

A 37-year-old GNR guard, assigned to the Coina transit station, in Barreiro, was sentenced to eight months in prisonwith a sentence suspended for one year, for the crime of abandoning his post.

The decision was confirmed by the Lisbon Court of Justice, following an appeal by the defendant, who claimed that she was being attacked by colleagues for maintaining a relationship with the Commander of the Detachment, writes .

According to the process, the events occurred on October 21, 2021, during a shift from 7 am to 3 pm. The guard and a corporal were assigned to a security mission. escort of war material of the Navy.

However, before completing the task, the detachment commander, who has maintained a relationship with the soldier since 2020, asked the patrol to return to the post. Allegedly, I needed to speak to the guard and collect the house keys. After the conversation, the soldier left the scene in a private carin uniform, without informing the corporal who led the patrol.

The court considered that the guard abandoned his post without authorization or legitimate justification, compromising operational readiness. The military’s version, which stated have felt bad and having sent a message to her partner to be replaced, was not corroborated by the evidence presented. The court also highlighted that other guards unsuccessfully tried to validate the accused’s narrative.

The military, who has a history of two decorationsa laudatory reference and a disciplinary penalty of written reprimand, was also criticized for the lack of self-censorship in its arguments. The suspension of the sentence is conditional on the execution of a supervised social reintegration plan.

During the trial, the guard attributed the case to reprisals due to colleagues’ dissatisfaction with the service ratings assigned by their partner. The ruling, however, rejected this thesis, considering the defendant’s testimony as inconsistent and marked by a discourse of victimization.