British boy, 13, stabbed to death 'died trying to protect his mum'

The heartbroken grandmother of a 13-year-old boy stabbed to death in Portugal spoke of her shock today and said: 'He died trying to protect his mother.'

Linda Hallett described her grandson, Alfie Hallett, as a 'lovely, gentle boy with a heart of gold'.

The tragic teenager was murdered yesterday in his family apartment near the Portuguese city of Tomar by his mother's former partner, named locally as Goncalo Carvalho.

His mother had been badly beaten and had been tied up.

Carvalho - understood to have served a prison sentence for aggravated homicide, after being convicted of stabbing another man 35 times - was killed in a gas explosion at the home as police moved in to arrest him.

Alfie was born in Brighton and brought up in nearby Bognor Regis on the West Sussex coast but his mother and father, Mark Hallett, later divorced.

His mother met a Portuguese man called Paulo and moved to his home city of Tomar, in the centre of Portugal, in 2016 when Alfie was four-years old.

Mrs Hallett told the Daily Mail that she had lost contact with her grandson in recent years and last saw him when he came back to the UK for Christmas in December 2018.

She only found out the news that he had been stabbed to death this morning.

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Pictured: British boy, 13, 'stabbed to death by mum's ex-boyfriend before killer dies in explosion' 

Speaking from her home in Bognor Regis, the grandmother of seven said: 'I got a call at 9.30am this morning from my daughter, who had been called by one of her friends.

'I was completely shocked, devastated. I believe Alfie died trying to protect his mother. I'm struggling to come tonight terms with what happened, quite honestly.

'Mark and Alfie's mum split when Alfie was very young and she then met Paulo, a Portuguese man living in the UK. They left soon afterwards to go and live in Tomar.

'She didn't tell Mark she was leaving and didn't tell him where she was. It was only when she split with the Paulo that he found out where Alfie was.

'Paulo had got in touch with me on social media in 2018 and told me where they'd been living.

'Mark flew to Portugal that December and got permission from the Portuguese courts to contact Alfie and his mum and so brought back his son for Christmas.

'It was so wonderful seeing Alfie again. I remember he was so pleased to see his dad and to see his baby brother Rocco.

'Mark was in a new relationship and he'd had a second son. Alfie had never met Rocco before then. '

Mrs Hallett said Mark 'spoiled his son rotten' during the two weeks he had him home for Christmas.

They went to see Santa Claus at a local shopping and garden centre and enjoyed a trip to the Christmas Market in Winchester, Hampshire.

She said: 'Mark was living in Tangmere near Chichester at the time and we had Christmas at his house. All of the family were there and it was something I'll never forget. It was the last time we were all together.

'Alfie loved Father Christmas so Mark basically found every shopping centre and garden centre locally that had a grotto and took his sons to see Santa.

'We had a lovely Christmas dinner all together.

'Alfie told me about how his mum was and how Portugal was, he said he liked it there but it got very hot sometimes.

'But I could tell that he was a little homesick too. He would often say he missed living in England.

'I remember he also loved the Christmas decorations. We had an inflatable Santa and a reindeer, which we had to deflate and put in his suitcase so he could take them home with him.

'Looking back, he was so happy then. He really was a jolly little soul who loved to sing and dance.

'He was such a lovely, gentle boy with a heart of gold.'

Mrs Hallett said Mark tried to see more of his son and had applied for more contact with the authorities in Portugal.

He would FaceTime his son regularly but last February, Mark, who had a history of heart problems, died after contracting Sepsis.

Mrs Hallett added: 'I like to think Mark and Alfie are reunited again somewhere.

'But I'm kind of glad that my son wasn't around when Alfie died. I think he would've found the heartache unbearable.'

Alfie was found with stab wounds at the apartment where he lived with his mother in the village of Casais, some 10-miles north of Tomar.

According to local media, his mother suffered a black eye and bruising to her face and her feet and hands had been bound together.

She was rescued by neighbours and taken to hospital.

They are both believed to have been attacked by Carvalho, who had served time in prison for stabbing another man to death by knifing him 35 times in a park.

He is believed to have been released early for good behaviour around a decade ago after serving 14 years inside.

As police responded to an emergency in the flat, a suspected gas blast tore through the property killing Carvalho and injuring an officer.

Carvalho was later found with what is believed to be self-inflicted knife wounds.

Alfie and his mother were known to authorities, with the boy himself having bravely filed complaints about domestic violence between 2022 and 2023.

Alfie's mum had reported her former partner, who neighbours say had spent many nights sleeping in his car outside the home she shared with her son, as part of his 'obsessive' attempts to keep her under control.

In their first and only official comments so far about the incident, a spokesman for Portugal's Policia Judiciaria force said yesterday: 'The Polícia Judiciaria, through the Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria, is conducting and investigating to clarify the circumstances of two deaths that occurred this morning in the parish of Casais in Tomar.

'These are the deaths by stabbing of a 13-year-old boy and that of the presumed perpetrator, his mother's former partner, who herself was found by authorities with signs of having been bound and assaulted and has since been taken to the nearest hospital.

'Both the alleged assailant and the minor had multiple stab wounds. Despite vital signs still being detected, death was declared at the scene moments later.

'Following an alert about what appeared to be a domestic violence situation, the GNR police force was dispatched to the scene.

'Inside the residence, there was a strong smell of gas, which moments later resulted in an explosion that injured one of the GNR officers.

'The alleged perpetrator had already served a prison sentence for homicide, and the family had been flagged following domestic violence cases registered in 2022 and 2023.'

Luis Freire, leader of the local parish council, said: 'There had been a number of violent episodes between the couple and I think the GNR police force was aware of that. This time round the outcome was a very bad one.'

Neighbour Jaime Lopes, one of the people the boy's mum is said to have turned to for help, said: 'She was very scared, very badly beaten on her face.

'It seemed to me that even her teeth were broken. She had a lot of blood on her hands and plastic ties around them and on her ankles.'

Adding that the woman and her child had lived in the area for at least two years and locals sometimes heard arguments at the property, he continued: 'The only thing we thought was 'one of these days something is going to happen because the suspect is not a good guy.'

Emotional tributes have begun to pour in for the youngster as the community comes to grips with what happened.

The basketball section of Tomar-based Sport Club Operario Cem Soldos (SCOCS) said late yesterday in a message alongside a black ribbon photo of Alfie: 'SCOCS BASKETBALL has just become poorer today!!!

'Our athlete Alfie passed away today at the age of 13. He played his last game on Saturday, played so well that it seemed like he knew it was his last game but far from imagining it..... We want to tell you how much we love you and that you will always be in our hearts. Rest in peace.'

Trainer Ana Bengala was quoted locally as saying: 'The sports community was deeply shaken by the tragic death of a 13-year-old athlete from the Sub-14 Basketball team of SCOCS, a victim of an act of violence deemed utterly incomprehensible.

'The news generated great sorrow among athletes, coaches, managers, parents, and members, who are united in this moment of pain and mourning. The young athlete was seen as a cherished member of the sports family, leaving an indelible mark on all who interacted with him.

'The memory of the athlete will remain alive within the club and among all those who had the privilege of knowing him.'