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Alfie Hallett’s gran said she believes the 13-year-old died protecting his mum(Image: Facebook)

A British boy stabbed to death in Portugal was trying to defend his mum from her abusive ex-boyfriend, his heartbroken grandmother believes.

Alfie Hallett, 13, has been named locally as the teen who was found with “several injuries caused by a bladed weapon” following an incident in Tomar, Portugal, on Tuesday. The avid football player was allegedly stabbed by his mother’s ex-boyfriend at their home in the country, with the mum the only survivor after the suspected perpetrator, named locally as Goncalo Carvalho, died in a possible gas explosion.

Linda Hallett, late Alfie’s grandma, has said the teen “died trying to protect his mother”, and remembered him as a “lovely, gentle boy with a heart of gold”.

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Alfie moved to Portugal when he was just four years old with his mother(Image: Facebook)

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mrs Hallett said she and Alfie, who was born in Brighton and raised in Bognor Regis, but moved to Portugal after his mum divorced his father and met a man named Paulo, had lost contact in recent years. She only found out about his death on Christmas Eve morning after receiving a call from her daughter.

She told the publication that she believes Alfied had “died trying to protect his mother” and was struggling to come to terms with his death. She said: “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.”

Mrs Hallett added that Alfie’s mum hadn’t told his father she was leaving for Portugal, and only discovered where they were after she split with Paulo. She said: “She didn’t tell Mark she was leaving and didn’t tell him where she was. It was only when she split with 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.”

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Alfie’s grandma said she had lost contact with the teen in recent years(Image: Facebook)

Alfie and his mum are believed to have been attacked by Carvalho, who is believed to have been released from prison on good behaviour around a decade ago – after spending 14 years behind bars for killing a man by stabbing him 35 times in a park. Portugal’s National Republican Guard (GNR) said his mum was found showing signs “of having been restrained and assaulted”.

She survived the attack, and was rushed “to the nearest hospital” the service added in a statement. A spokesperson said: “Both the alleged assailant and the minor presented several injuries caused by a bladed weapon but, despite vital signs still being detectable, death was declared at the scene moments later.

“Inside the house, 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 aggravated homicide, and the family had been flagged following domestic violence cases registered in 2022 and 2023.”