A former Brazilian gymnastics coach has been sentenced to more than a century in prison for raping four female athletes, at least one of whom was a minor, local media reported Tuesday.
A court in the city of Sao Bernardo do Campo near Sao Paulo sentenced Fernando de Carvalho Lupecha to 109 years and eight months in prison on Monday, according to Globo Esporte, which has access to the transcript, which is protected by judicial secrecy.
He was convicted of assaulting four athletes, including a minor who was 13 at the time, according to Globo Esporte, which did not specify the age of the other athletes. Carvalho Lubics can still appeal the decision after he has pleaded not guilty, knowing he will not go to jail until any potential appeal is over.
The former coach led the young gymnasts for 20 years, until in 2016, a month before the Rio Olympics, he was expelled from the national team after a complaint from the young athlete’s parents. In April 2019, he was banned for life from any activity related to gymnastics.
Other charges have also been brought against him: four years ago, about 40 athletes told Globo TV that they had been subjected to psychological, physical and sexual violence. Some of them participated in trials as eyewitnesses to events allegedly taking place between 1999 and 2016.
