Crusading Brazilian judge is shot dead

GUNMEN in Brazil have shot dead a Brazilian judge known for taking a hard line against criminals, including corrupt police officers.

The early-morning slaying of Patricia Lourival Acioli in Niteroi, across the bay from Rio de Janeiro, prompted the country's Supreme Court to demand a swift investigation by federal police and condemn the killing as an attack on democracy and the rule of law.

"Cowardly crimes against magistrates are an attack on the independence of the judiciary, the state and Brazilian democracy," supreme court president Cezar Peluso said in a statement.

"The preservation of the rule of law in our country demands a rapid investigation of the facts and a rigorous punishment of those responsible for this barbarous act."

A group of gunmen fired at least 16 bullets into the judge's car as she arrived at her house, killing her instantly. The masked men were travelling on motorbikes at the time of the shooting.

The 47-year-old mother of three had been on a death list found in possession of a jailed militia leader this year, but had not taken steps to increase her personal security.

She was best known for convicting members of vigilante gangs and had also taken a tough line on Brazil's corrupt police, often jailing them and handing down tough sentences.

The judge's family said she had received several death threats, but had not had a police escort.

Militias made up of off-duty police and firefighters have expanded in Rio's lawless slums in recent years, ousting drug gangs in turf battles over the lucrative supply of services such as cable TV and cooking gas.

"Patricia received threats for at least five years. She was considered a hard-line judge, always giving the maximum penalty," her cousin, Humberto Nascimento, was quoted as saying.

Rio has been trying to tackle its reputation for violent crime as it prepares to co-host the football World Cup in 2014 and host the Olympic Games in 2016.