The grieving mother of a 13-year-old British schoolboy murdered in Portugal has spoken of her unimaginable pain, saying she wishes she had died alongside her beloved son. Alfie Hallett was fatally stabbed on Tuesday by his mother's former partner, Goncalo Carvalho, a 43-year-old shop worker with a previous conviction for a brutal homicide.
A Mother's Heartbreaking Tribute
Alfie's mother, 43-year-old Rachel Reeves, paid a devastating tribute to her son, describing the profound agony of her loss. "He was taken from me so unfairly and cruelly by that monster," she said. "I miss him so much that it hurts to breathe. I wish he had taken me too, because my world ended the day I lost him." She expressed her hope that Alfie knew how deeply he was loved, calling him her "reason for living".
The attack occurred at the family's home in the village of Casais, in the Tomar region of Portugal. According to Portuguese police, Carvalho first assaulted Ms Reeves, beating her and binding her hands and feet with plastic ties. She managed to escape and raise the alarm with neighbours, before being taken to hospital for treatment.
A Violent History and a Fatal Assault
Police confirmed that Carvalho had a violent criminal past. He had previously served around 15 years in prison for the aggravated homicide of a man, whom he stabbed 35 times in a park when he was just 19. He was reportedly released due to good behaviour. Authorities also revealed they had received reports of domestic violence involving the family in both 2022 and 2023, and that Ms Reeves had previously reported her partner to police. The couple had officially separated before the fatal attack.
After stabbing Alfie, Carvalho injured himself with the same knife and barricaded himself inside the property. When emergency services arrived, he detonated a gas explosion, which killed him and injured a police officer. Alfie was found with multiple stab wounds at the apartment he shared with his mother.
A Community in Mourning and a Life Cut Short
Alfie's grandmother, Linda Hallett, described him as a "lovely, gentle boy with a heart of gold" and believes he may have died trying to protect his mother. The teenager was born in Brighton and brought up in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, before moving to Portugal with his mother when he was four years old.
Neighbours spoke of a climate of fear before the tragedy. One local, Jaime Lopes, said Carvalho had spent "nearly every night" sleeping in his car opposite the house, in what appeared to be an attempt to control Ms Reeves and Alfie. "The only thing we thought was one of these days something is going to happen because the suspect is not a good guy," he told The Telegraph.
Tributes have poured in for the young teenager. His basketball team shared a touching message, noting he played exceptionally well in a recent match, "as if he knew it was his last game". His school expressed deep sadness, stating his smile and memory would remain alive in their hearts.
The Polícia Judiciária in Leiria continues to investigate the circumstances of the two deaths, which followed an alert about an apparent domestic violence situation.
