British diamond heiress abused physically and verbally for decades by reality star husband, says prosecutor

José Castelo Branco, aged 61, who is genderfluid and goes by both he/she pronouns, was charged with domestic violence offences against his wife of almost 30 years, 95-year-old Betty Grafstein.

Grafstein, who was born in Britain but is an American citizen, went to hospital in May after allegedly being pushed by her husband at their home in Sintra near Lisbon, Portugal. She suffered a broken hip and bruising from the fall.

The hospital filed the initial accusation against Castelo Branco, who is both a TV personality and a model and has been seen on many Porteguese TV shows.

“The suspect and the victim have been married since November 1996, and the indictment states that, since the start of the marriage, the suspect abused the victim physically and verbally,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, as reported by the I.

“Using such behaviour, the suspect, 61, acted with the accomplished purpose of mistreating the victim, 95, abusing her body and mental health, hurting and scaring her, in the full knowledge that she was his wife and aware of her age. The defendant hit Mrs Grafstein in the United States and Portugal, punching her all over her body and pushing her.”

The statement from the prosecutor’s office also mentioned the incident in May.

Elizabeth Grafstein (nee Larner), was in Britain but moved to the US in the 1940s where she married diamond trader Albert Grafstein. The couple bought a house in Portugal in the 1970s, and when her husband died in 1991 she moved there and inherited his diamond business.

Castelo Branco posted a message posted on social media after he was arrested and said: “I will survive! God is my witness. Be blessed. Love.” His Instagram account now appears to be have been de-activated.

His defence lawyer Pedro Nogueira Simoes asked for a judge to examine the evidence in the case, claiming that there were “inconsistencies”. “My client was indicted for crimes which happened decades ago,” he told Correio da Manhã, a Portuguese newspaper.

In Portugal, the decision to charge Castelo Branco with domestic violence towards an elderly woman has caused a public outcry. “It was the classic case of a younger gold-digger and an elderly sugar mother,” said Correio da Manhã journalist Jose Miguel.

Alexandre Guerreiro, Grafstein’s lawyer, said: “It was encouraging to see that the public prosecutor’s office had the sensitivity to understand the gravity [of this case] and the alleged aggressor’s conduct towards Mrs Grafstein.” He added that his client would launch an independent accusation, which is possible under Portuguese law, and claim for compensation.

Prosecutors asked Castelo Branco to give up his passport because he was classed as a flight risk.

“The appellant’s impulsivity leads us to fear that he will not comply with these measures, and he will try to get closer to the victim, given that from a distance the court would not be able to confirm compliance with coercive measures,” the prosecutor said.

“The defendant’s subjection to the ban on leaving the country appears to be appropriate and proportional to the precautionary requirements that the case requires.”

Castelo Branco has appealed against the ban on leaving the country.