Women who practiced homophobia against a couple in a bakery in SP became defendants

The São Paulo Court of Justice accepted the complaint against women who practiced homophobia and attacked a couple of men after confusion in a bakery, located in the Santa Cecília neighborhood, in the center of São Paulo.

Jaqueline Santos Ludovico, who appears in the videos recorded by one of the victims, was reported for insult, bodily harm and threat. While Laura Athanassakis Jordão, the woman's friend, must respond for racial insult.

The attack took place in February this year, when the women were in the bakery's parking lot in a space that the same-sex couple, Adrian and Rafael, slowly approached to park, which started the confusion, according to prosecutor Maria Fernanda Balsalobre.

The women hurled homophobic insults, physical attacks and threats, inside and outside the bakery, against the couple, an employee and a customer there. At that time, the Military Police were called.

The Public Ministry's complaint accepted by the court determined that Jaqueline pay at least 10 minimum wages in compensation to the couple and Laura also pay five minimum wages to each of them.

In a statement, the couple's defense stated that they received the news of the complaint against the women with “serenity and a desire for justice”. According to Flávio Grossi, the couple's defense representative, the maximum penalties provided for by law, combined, for Jaqueline can reach 12 years in prison, while for Laura 10 years.

A CNN contacted Jaqueline's defense and has not yet received a response, and aims to locate Laura's defense.

The case

It was February 3, 2024 when the couple Adrian and Rafael slowly approached a space reserved for cars at the Iracema bakery, in the Santa Cecília neighborhood, in their own car. They intended to park in the space which, in turn, was occupied by three people who were standing and talking.

In an interview with CNN , Rafael said that Jaqueline had crossed her arms in the parking space and, at that moment, was removed by the man who accompanied her to the side of the vehicle. The woman again went back to the front of the car and pushed the rear-view mirror of the victim's vehicle and said: “All you have to do is close the f***ing thing and you can park it”. After being restrained by the man who accompanied her, she started shouting homophobic phrases.

Jaqueline even threw a traffic cone at the couple and the violent behavior extended into the bakery. “She came at us with a series of insults, of a profane and homophobic nature,” said Rafael. The victims also reported kicks and slaps by the aggressor. Among the phrases uttered against the couple by Jaqueline, the following stood out: “These dude’s fagots*”, “Just because it makes you happy”, “You want to be where we are”.

Laura, in turn, encouraged her colleague's conduct and also began to offend Adrian and Rafael, in addition to throwing a cone towards Rafael, which did not hit him. The couple entered the bakery in an attempt to defend themselves, but were followed by Jaqueline. Witnesses tried to calm the situation, but to no avail.

With all the confusion, Adrian started filming the situation and Jaqueline didn't like it. Therefore, she began attacking the man with blows to the face, which caused slight bleeding. The attacker added: “I took your blood, it wasn’t enough”. The woman's friend and employees tried to restrain her, but she refused to stop and pushed the store manager.

According to the MP, the conduct of the two women caused outrage among local customers, who mobilized to call the Military Police and remove them from the store. The Military Police were called and arrived at the scene to deal with the incident.

In a statement, the Iracema bakery said at the time that it deeply regretted what happened at the establishment and vehemently repudiates any form of discrimination and disrespect.

At the time the video gained repercussion on the networks, the CNN He sought the defense of the attackers who stated that they would have two versions of the facts. Thus, the defense pointed out that the complete story and the true complexity of the events required a more sensitive and balanced approach, which recognized Jaqueline's vulnerable situation and the injustice of judging her solely based on fragments of information.

“At this delicate moment, it is essential to protect the privacy and dignity of Ms. Jaqueline's family, especially her minor children involved, guaranteeing them the right to a fair and impartial trial, without the undue weight of public pressure and virtual lynching”, concluded the note.