Fall River father convicted of sexually assaulting his 3 daughters

A Fall River man was found guilty by a jury last week of sexually assaulting his three young daughters during child visitations with them over an eight year period. 

Daniel “Danny” Arruda, 46, was convicted Thursday of three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14; three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child over the age of 14; and aggravated rape of a child with a five-year age difference, the Bristol County District Attorney’s office said in a statement. 

Arruda committed the sexual assaults and rape of his three daughters, when they were between the ages of 12 and 16, during visitations with the girls between 2013 and 2021, prosecutors said. The father had visits with his children, with whom he did not live, after he and their mother divorced. 

The youngest girl disclosed the abuse in May 2021, which resulted in the charges filed against Arruda, the DA’s office said. 

“I am very pleased that the jury held the defendant accountable for molesting his three daughters,” Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn said in a statement. “This repulsive behavior was a betrayal of trust against his own flesh and blood.”

Arruda is being held in custody and is scheduled to return to court Sept. 5 for sentencing, according to the DA’s office.

Dialynn Dwyer

Dialynn Dwyer is a reporter and editor at Boston.com, covering breaking and local news across Boston and New England.

 

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