A former basketball player who crushed his girlfriend's jaw after punching her more than 60 times during a bloody attack inside a lift has claimed that he was beat up in prison after his arrest.
The attack happened in a condominium in Ponta Negra beach, in Natal, Brazil, around 4pm on Saturday, 26th July.
The suspect, Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, was arrested at the scene and held in pre-trial detention. but now says he has also been violently assaulted while in custody at a local prison.
His legal team have pleaded for him to be put into protective custody as he fears for his life after being transferred to the Dinora Simas Public Prison, where he claims he was stripped naked, handcuffed, and placed alone in a cell, where he was beaten by prison guards using punches, kicks, elbows and pepper spray.
He was arrested after security camera footage from inside the lift shows Cabral launching into a sustained attack on his girlfriend Juliana Soares following a brief argument as the doors closed.
The victim sustained multiple facial fractures and a broken jaw and had to undergo surgery to reconstruct her badly wounded face.
Due to the extent of the injuries, she was unable to speak and communicated with investigators using handwritten notes, including one in which she wrote that she stayed in the lift because she knew he was going to hit her.
It later emerged that Cabral had flown into a rage when he discovered messages from one of his friends on Juliana's phone.
Juliana told the police that during their two-year relationship, Cabral had shown an explosive temper and controlling behaviour.
A friend of the victim said a building security guard monitoring the cameras had witnessed the assault and alerted the police, who arrived promptly and detained the suspect.
Cabral, who once played for Brazil's 3x3 basketball national team, was charged with attempted femicide after a custody hearing.
After his arrest, he bizarrely claimed that he was having "a claustrophobic episode" when he attacked Juliana and that he regretted his actions.
He also claimed that prison staff told him he had "arrived in hell" and advised him to take his own life.
The Rio Grande do Norte Penitentiary Administration Secretariat (SEAP) confirmed it had launched an internal investigation and had escorted the inmate to file a complaint and undergo a forensic medical examination.
Cabral’s defence had asked for him to be placed in a protective cell, but the SEAP said the facility does not have individual units.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
NewsX-LiftAttack-01.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Picture shows Juliana Garcia dos Santos face, undated. She was punched over 60 times in Natal, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-LiftAttack-02.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, 29, poses in undated photo. He punched his girlfriend 60 times in an elevator in Natal, Brazil. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-LiftAttack-03.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Juliana Garcia dos Santos writes statement after receiving over 60 punches in the face in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. She is in stable condition. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-02.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | The victim, Juliana Garcia dos Santos, poses in undated photo. She suffered serious injuries. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-03.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, 29, poses in undated photo. He punched his girlfriend 60 times in an elevator in Natal, Brazil. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-04.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, 29, poses in undated photo. He punched his girlfriend 60 times in an elevator in Natal, Brazil. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-05.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, 29, poses in undated photo. He punched his girlfriend 60 times in an elevator in Natal, Brazil. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-01.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-06.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-07.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-08.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-BeskPle-09.jpg Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-LiftAttack-01.mp4 Video Copyright: Newsflash/NX Video Caption: Caption: Juliana Garcia dos Santos writes statement after receiving over 60 punches in the face in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. She is in stable condition. ***Video Licence Restrictions: NEWS MEDIA PORTALS ONLY. Usage on social media is possible but we offer no guarantees. This video is offered under our ‘social and local media source’ licence. For details see https://newsx.agency/licences/
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NewsX-BeskPle-01.mp4 Video Copyright: Newsflash/NX Video Caption: Archive Video | Caption: Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral beats girlfriend in elevator in Natal, Brazil, July 27, 2025. He was arrested as seen in the second video. ***Video Licence Restrictions: NEWS MEDIA PORTALS ONLY. Usage on social media is possible but we offer no guarantees. This video is offered under our ‘social and local media source’ licence. For details see https://newsx.agency/licences/
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