Son of woman who 'wheeled dead uncle into bank for loan' speaks out in her defence

Warning: This article contains content some readers may find distressing.

The son of a woman who has been accused of wheeling her dead uncle into a bank has called her an 'inspiration'.

Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, 43, from Brazil, is accused of taking her uncle, Paulo Roberto Braga, 68, into a bank in Rio de Janeiro to withdraw money.

The body was in a wheelchair. (X/@realengotv)

It's believed Erika took Paulo - who was reliant on oxygen to breathe - into the bank twice, once when he was believed to be still alive, and a second occasion when he is thought to have already passed away.

Defending his mum, Erika's son, Lucas, maintains that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.

“My mother raised six children, and she never needed to steal, she never needed to deceive anyone to raise her six children," Lucas told Brazilian news outlet, Fantastico.

"My mother guided her six children in this life, and she guided them very well, teaching us the path of study, the path of what is correct. Our life is very well underway and my mother has always been our biggest inspiration."

However, in widely circulated images and footage, Erika can be seen holding Paulo's head straight and urging him to sign a document.

Érika de Souza Vieira Nunes was arrested shortly after taking her uncle's body to the bank. (G1)

Videos show the woman using her hand to keep his head up and talking to him as the staff quickly became suspicious.

"She went with him to the bank because she realised that he was in the last moment of his life, and tried, before his death, to withdraw this money," said police chief Fabio Souza.

"She saw the possibility of withdrawing this money, because it was the last chance she had to get this money."

Paramedics said that Paulo was already dead when they arrived at the bank.

Lucas maintains that his mum his innocent. (g1)

Erika tried to get her uncle to sign off on a loan for reportedly 17,000 reais (£2,600) as one clerk in the clip said: “I don’t think he’s well. He doesn’t look well at all.”

Erika said: “Sign here and stop giving me a headache,” while taking hold of her uncle's swaying head from the back.

A worker said: “I don’t think this is legal. He doesn’t look well. He’s very pale.”

But Erika kept it up as she replied: “He’s like that.” And told her dead uncle: “If you’re not well, I can take you to hospital. Do you want to go back to the hospital again?”

Erika was arrested at the scene as she told officers she was both Paulo’s niece and carer. The lawyer representing her, Ana Carla de Souza Correa, insisted the situation was not as described.

“The facts did not occur as has been narrated. Paulo was alive when he arrived at the bank,” she told reporters.

She claimed there were witnesses who could prove this and that ‘all of this will be cleared up'.

“We believe in Érika’s innocence,” the lawyer added.