:strip_icc()/s02.video.glbimg.com/x720/12757565.jpg "Brazilian Businesswoman Says She Was Wrongly Arrested in Front of Her Family at London Airport | Goiás")
Brazilian woman reports being wrongly arrested in front of family at London airport
What was supposed to be a family trip turned into a nightmare for Aline Fernandes Dutra, 36, a businesswoman from Goiás. The Brazilian woman said she was wrongly arrested and handcuffed in front of her children and husband at London airport (See above). Allen explained that she was mistaken for a woman with a similar name who was driving drunk and did not appear in court.
“I am a mother of two young children, and I work honestly in the UK. It can’t stop there. I was treated like a criminal all the time, even though they weren’t sure if I was the right person,” Allen said.
The arrest took place on June 13 this year when Aline and her family were on their way to Italy. When checking their bags, three police officers approached the woman from Goiás and asked her if she was “Aline Fernandes.” The Brazilian replied that her name was “Aline Fernandes Dutra.” Their names differ in their last name and spelling, with one having two “L”s and the other two “N.”
- Guyana: ALebanese poundIn Fernandez Dotra
- Suspect in the crime: AliN.NAnd Fernandez
Allen was held from 11 a.m. on June 13, 2006, until 5 p.m. the next day, when she went to court for a hearing. During the trial, the suspect's photo was not on file, the fingerprint mismatch was removed, and the Brazilian woman's name was added to the arrest document for the real perpetrator, Allen said.
“After seeing the video of Allen Fernandez being arrested in 2022, they said it wasn’t me, which is why I was released on parole with a return date. “My family and I returned to court on the 28th for another hearing, and for my defence to finally explain the mistake the British police made in arresting me without justification,” he explained.
Now, the woman from Goiás must carry a document proving her innocence, in case the police approach, so that the real person accused of the crime can be arrested. Aline was born in Goiânia, lived in the United Kingdom for 15 years, and holds dual Brazilian and Italian citizenship, thanks to her grandfather.
Hey g1 I requested information from the London Police, but had not received any response by the time of the last update of this report.
At the time of her arrest, Allen was with her husband, Joel Winston Petrie, a British national, and their two children, aged 3 and 1, who were born in London. Police explained during the interview that Allen Fernandez's crime took place on 16 January 2022.
“I said I don’t know how to drive, I don’t have a driver’s license, and I wasn’t in the area where the other person was arrested. While I was being detained at the airport, the police refused to show me the data I had written down about the suspect who was arrested in 2022, such as her date of birth, address, the car she was driving, or where she was arrested.”
According to the businesswoman, even the photo taken during the arrest of the real suspect, called a mugshot, was different from hers. “The photo was clearly not me! When my husband questioned the police about the photo, they said the fact that it wasn’t me had nothing to do with it,” Allen said.
After a few minutes of conversation, the woman from Goiás was handcuffed in front of her children. g1Allen said he was injured during his arrest, with his foot swollen and marks on his wrists.
The Brazilian was taken in handcuffs in the truck to a cell and her fingerprints were taken. Allen said she was told that if her fingerprint turned red, it would indicate she was not the person who committed the crime in 2022.
He pointed out that “after my fingerprint turned red again, they continued to detain me and did not explain anything else to me.”
On 14/06, Allen realized before the judge that the photo of the real accused was not in the file and the police had omitted the fingerprint information, the Brazilian told g1Allen also discovered that the data in the hands of the police officers was not the same as hers.
“I realized that the police had edited the 2022 arrest document by adding my full name and address, which made everything more confusing in the system to make it look like I had something to do with the crime,” he added.
The judge did not realize something was wrong until the video of the real defendant's arrest was shown in court. She was then released on parole with a date set for a re-entry hearing.
On June 28, during the final hearing at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in London, the court declared Allen innocent. But it made clear that she needed to have a document proving the truth, in order for the real culprit to be caught.
