Kawara Welch, 23, arrested for the crime of stalking after chasing a doctor in Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais, who had been on the run since March last year, was detained on the 8th in a university in Uberlândia. According to the police chief in the case, she believed she had an “imaginary” relationship with the doctor, who preferred not to be identified.
According to information from police chief Rafael de Freitas Faria, who is in charge of the case, Kawara allegedly sent 1,300 messages and made 500 calls to the doctor and his family. He also mentions that the young woman frequented the same places as the victim, feeding the belief of a non-existent relationship.
“She had illusions that this relationship really existed between them, this made her frequent the same environments as the victim, such as workplaces, residence, hospitals, clinics. She persecuted him repeatedly. There is no indication of the existence of a relationship between them, or that the doctor promised her anything, or that he kept giving her hints,” the delegate explained to the newspaper O GLOBO.
The police chief points out that Kawara’s obsession was the motive behind the crime and points out that at no point in the investigations was it proven that the two had a romantic relationship. He also emphasizes that the artist’s behavior is unjustifiable, as the crime of stalking profoundly affects the physical and psychological integrity of the victim.
“Since the crime of stalking threatens the physical and psychological integrity of the victim. Crime decreases the ability to move, restricts freedom, restricts privacy. Although it is a crime considered a minor offensive potential due to the amount of maximum punishment that the legislator has opted for, it is a crime that causes catastrophic effects on the victim’s life. Nothing would justify it, even if they had a relationship,” Faria points out.
In an interview with Fantástico, the doctor reported that he met Kawara in 2018, when she came to him with depression. The persecutions began in 2019, and, because of this, the artist was excluded from the professional’s list of patients.
He and his wife filed 42 police reports for disturbing the peace, bodily harm, threatening, and extortion.
Kawara’s arrest followed the issuance of a pretrial detention warrant on May 8. The police have been investigating the case since the beginning and reveal that the young woman had already been arrested previously in 2021.
On social media, Kawara presents herself as a visual artist and model, accumulating more than 6.5 thousand followers.
The young woman’s defense, on the other hand, argued to the newspaper O GLOBO that the two had a romantic relationship. She was arrested, but was released after paying bail of R$3,500 and went on to respond to the process in freedom.
“The alleged victim’s partner then discovered this situation and began to ‘coerce’ the alleged victim, who with no alternative was forced to make these complaints. Unfortunately, as said, Mr. Kawara did not have the opportunity to declare everything she now declares for her defense and provide documents for everything to be ascertained,” they said in a statement.
They also point out that Kawara “was never intimidated” to provide any clarification on the facts.
“Ms. Kawara’s only mistake is to remain deluded by the alleged victim into having a relationship with herself,” the defense said in a statement.
The crime of stalking, included in the Penal Code in March 2021, consists of repeatedly stalking someone, threatening their physical or psychological integrity, restricting their freedom, or disturbing their privacy. In a statement to GLOBO, the Civil Police reported that they served the preventive arrest warrant against Kawara on May 8. The court order was issued by the judiciary of Ituiutaba. The chief also reported that the police have been investigating the case since the beginning and that she was first arrested in 2021.
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