Brazilian Embassy helped drug dealer flee after girl’s death

THE father of a 14-year-old girl who died after taking ecstasy has described the garda handling of the case as “a cock-up from start to finish”.

It emerged yesterday the Brazilian Embassy helped Weldo Cavalcante - the chief suspect who dumped the girl’s body in the back garden of an abandoned house - to flee the country, against garda wishes.

Jamie Maughan, aged 14, died in Cavalcante’s house after taking ecstasy. Cavalcante, who was in his late 20s, was her boyfriend at the time. He admitted to a friend that he dumped her body where it was found on July 2, 2004, seven days after she was last seen alive.

Cavalcante was only ever charged with statutory rape. Sentenced last July to two years, he was released on January 6 this year from the Midlands Prison. He promptly left the country, having been issued with temporary travel documents by the Brazilian embassy - despite objections by gardaí.

Jamie’s father, Brian, told an inquest into her death yesterday: “It was ridiculous that he (Cavalcante) was allowed to leave. It has been a cock-up from start to finish, never mind now.” The family’s solicitor, Larry Burke, said: “The DPP were clearly furnished what they thought only enough evidence to proceed against Weldo Cavalcante on the grounds of statutory rape. He dumped her body behind an abandoned house just up the road. He put together a concocted story for gardaí. The family can’t understand how further charges weren’t proffered as a result of all that, and that is what their difficulty is.

“Weldo Cavalcante was under the supervision of the Garda National Immigration Bureau pending his appearance before this inquest. The Brazilian Embassy then intervened and paid for his ticket home under the noses of the Garda National Immigration Bureau. It was an act of absolute national cowardice. “The ambassador from Brazil to Ireland must be approached by the Minister for Foreign Affairs forthwith and asked to explain this action, and how the summons could be ignored, how the need for him to attend at this inquest could be ignored, it is an absolute disgrace.”

The solicitor said he had been informed a review was being carried out into the gardaí’s handling of the investigation into her death.

The jury passed a verdict of death by misadventure.