Husband strangled wife with leggings, says prosecutor

Monday 28 January 2019

The trial of Alfredo da Costa Rebelo, who is accused of murdering his wife, Ana, at their home, opened this morning with the prosecutor saying Mr Rebelo strangled her with leggings over an affair.

Alfredo da Costa Rebelo is denying one charge of murder, instead saying Ms Rebelo killed herself.

Crown Advocate Howard Sharp addressed the Court this morning saying that the central issue of the case was whether Ms Rebelo's death was murder or a suicide. 

He said the prosecution's case was that Mr Rebelo killed Ana (pictured above) by strangling her with leggings at their home at 10 Victoria Street on or around 3 April 2017.

Pictured: The trial opened in the Royal Court this morning.

He told Court that the couple had lived in Jersey together since 2004. Ana had three children, a son and a daughter with Mr Rebelo, as well as another son whom Mr Rebelo learned in April 2018 was not his biological son.

The Court heard that for much if not all of that period, Ana had been seeing another man. While Ana and that man, who is due to give evidence in the trial later today, were said to have regularly talked about moving in together, they never did.

The Crown Advocate said that on 3 April 2017, Ana told her husband she wanted to leave to go to Portugal with the other man. This, the prosecutor said, led Mr Rebelo to lose his temper and self control. He said Mr Rebelo hit Ana in the face in the lounge, causing her lip to split.

After this, Ana went to her bedroom to get some painkillers and decided to sleep in her daughter's bedroom. It is there that at some point during the night Mr Rebelo is alleged to have used a pair of leggings belonging to his daughter to kill Ana.

Ana was found dead in her daughter's bedroom the morning after, on 4 April, by paramedics.

The prosecution will be calling Ana's partner, her daughter, as well as forensic experts, to give evidence in the trial, which is due to last two weeks.

Mr Rebelo is being defended by Advocate Julian Gollop. The Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, is presiding, sitting with Jurats Jane Ronge and Jerry Ramsden.