A 41-year-old mother is currently detained in a secure women’s prison after being accused of abandoning her two young sons. Marine Rousseau and her partner, Marc Ballabriga, aged 55, are facing charges of endangerment and abandonment following the discovery of a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old brother wandering along a rural road in Monte Novo do Sul, a secluded area between Comporta and Alcácer do Sal in Portugal.
Authorities revealed that the children were left blindfolded in a wooded area near an abandoned bus stop, only carrying a few pieces of fruit and a water bottle. They were found by a local baker who promptly contacted the police. The boys are currently under the care of a foster family until they can be returned to France.
The couple was apprehended by the Portuguese National Guard while peacefully seated at a café terrace near the pilgrimage site of Fátima, approximately 120 miles away from where the children were discovered.
Rousseau, who was observed singing to herself upon arrival at court, was remanded to the Tires women’s prison by an investigating judge. The prison, known for housing a mix of pre-trial detainees and convicted criminals, deals with some of Portugal’s most serious criminal cases but has a history of safety concerns affecting both inmates and guards.
Incidents at the prison have included deliberate fires started by inmates, resulting in injuries to prison staff. Additionally, reports have detailed drug overdoses, assaults on guards, and disease outbreaks within the facility in recent years.
Rousseau will remain at Tires prison until her next court appearance. She is a self-proclaimed “sexologist” offering online services to individuals seeking to overcome trauma and enhance their sexual well-being. Ballabriga, a former police officer with a history of harassment and domestic violence, is being held at Setúbal Prison.
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