App Driver is Convicted of Rape and Robbery of a Passenger in Ceará

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Former App driver Patrick Carneiro do Nascimento was sentenced to fourteen years and four months imprisonment for the crimes of rape and robbery, by a decision of the 3rd Criminal Court of the State of Ceará. He was arrested in August 2018 on suspicion of sexually assaulting several women in Fortaleza.

The sentence, which also ordered the defendant’s pre-trial detention, was issued on May 6th, although it had not been disclosed because the case was under seal. The defense appealed the conviction and is awaiting judgment, according to information from the Court of Justice of Ceará (TJCE).

One of the driver’s victims interviewed by G1 saw her life change after the ride with the defendant. “It’s tough for me to be alone; I don’t trust any driver. I get to work by public transport. When I go out at night, I don’t call any app services anymore. I stay at home; I don’t see my friends anymore,” she says.

The woman begs not to talk about the day of the rape. “I need psychological therapy, but I never had the means to continue, due to financial problems and lack of time,” she laments.

Serial crimes

The report found that Carneiro do Nascimento is facing four additional criminal cases before the ECJ, pending in the 7th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Criminal Courts. Two of them are for rape and robbery, one for rape, the other for larceny. One of the cases is up for trial.

The App driver’s arrest and conviction eased the pain of a victim from another case pending in the State Court. “Things are underway now, I feel a little safer,” she says.

After her rape, family members noticed that the license plate of the vehicle Carneiro do Nascimento was driving was different from the information on the App.

“The plate belonged to a motorcycle. Since she had no internet, she only had time to call the car. When it came, she didn’t check plates or anything. In the Dunas neighborhood, there’s a dark street corner. He stopped the car, abused her, hit her, and threw her out of the car. She sought out a nearby condominium and asked for help,” said a relative who wished to remain anonymous.

More victims

Prosecutor Marcos William, of the Federal Prosecutors’ Office of Ceará (MPCE), in charge of indicting the defendant in another case, believes that the number of victims is higher than what the courts know. “We’ve probably had other cases where the victims didn’t go to the police. Many victims don’t dare to report it. Only after the other cases came to light did she come to report it, five months later.”

The 99 Pop App driver repeated the “modus operandi” in sex crimes. “He used another name in the App. The passengers ordered the trip; he would take them to the neighborhood of Dunas, rape them and steal, using violence, objects like money and cell phones, usually at night”, recounts the prosecutor.

Assistance

The victim heard in the report, and her family complain that 99 Pop has never sought them out to offer any help. She further says that she has already sued the company for moral damages — an action for which the company is still to be subpoenaed. “The App company itself has taken no action. We (the victims) took action because otherwise, he would still be free,” claims the woman.

In a statement, 99 Pop said it “deeply laments the severe cases of violence that occurred in 2018 in Fortaleza, involving a driver registered on the platform. On that occasion, the company immediately banned the driver from the platform and actively cooperated with the authorities in the investigations.”

“In light of events, the company has adopted a series of additional measures to increase the safety of rides, including a complete review of the registration procedure of new drivers and a face-to-face reappraisal of 100 percent of all drivers’ documentation who are active on the platform.”

“Additionally, it has introduced new security features such as facial recognition which periodically identifies the faces of drivers before they connect to the App; request, at the time of registration, of a driver’s photo holding his driver’s license, in addition to CNH photo and licensing; passengers are prompted to check if the driver’s picture is a match to whoever took the ride, before and after the call; an algorithm that automatically tracks reports of harassment and rape left in comments after the trip is over.”

“99 Pop sympathizes with the victim and her family and maintained contact with them at the time, offering as much support as possible. The assistance includes information on how to obtain personal insurance covering personal accidents of all users of the platform during the rides. The app company reports, however, that the victim and her family failed to activate the insurance”.