PSP officers from Olhão on trial for Moroccan man's death deny responsibility
Jorge Sousa and Pedro Barbosa, accused of kidnapping and killing Aissa Ait Aissa in March 2024, denied any responsibility at Faro Court.
PSP officers from Olhão: two agents deny homicide of Moroccan citizen at start of trial
Two PSP officers from Olhão accused of kidnapping and killing a Moroccan citizen appeared on Tuesday, 8 September, at Faro Court, denying any responsibility in the victim's death. According to dn.pt, Jorge Sousa and Pedro Barbosa are being tried for the crimes of two aggravated kidnappings and one qualified homicide, matters dating back to March 2024.
According to the Public Prosecution's allegations, the two officers transported the victims in a patrol vehicle out of the city of Olhão and assaulted Aissa Ait Aissa with violence. The victim died approximately 20 days after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Faro Hospital.
What the officers said in court
At the first session of the trial, Jorge Sousa and Pedro Barbosa recalled being called twice on the same day for disturbances allegedly caused by Aissa Ait Aissa and Hassan Ait Rahou in supermarkets in Olhão. After the second incident, as the shop worker did not wish to file a complaint, the two officers decided to take the men home to remove them from the area of conflict, a procedure they described as normal and carried out with the consent of the men themselves.
The two Moroccan men were transported handcuffed in the rear of the vehicle — a measure the defendants justified as a standard self-protection rule in transporting people in PSP vehicles. The officers indicated that the two men appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, but that they remained "peaceful" and "calm", and that they were "conscious" when they were left at a place known as "caminho da sucata", in Pechão, already outside the urban perimeter of Olhão.
Pedro Barbosa stated he had sent Hassan Ait Rahou's identification to his colleague for the preparation of the incident report and denied deleting any WhatsApp message related to the incident, claiming it concerned another matter. Jorge Sousa, questioned by the prosecutor, said he had initiated the record in the PSP's internal system, but could not explain why he did not complete it.
Medical expert rules out hit-and-run hypothesis
On the morning of the first session, expert Aníbal Coutinho, doctor at the Local Health Unit of the Algarve, was also heard, who considered the hit-and-run hypothesis "out of the question", given the absence of injuries compatible with that type of incident.
Coutinho stated that the cause of death would have been an assault "with intent" that caused "a depression" in the left side of the skull, noting that an expandable baton could be one of the instruments capable of causing this type of injury — an observation made at the request of the Public Prosecution.
What is stated in the MP's allegations
According to the allegations, the officers "acted freely and consciously, knowing full well that their conduct was prohibited by criminal law" and "seriously abused" their authority. The MP considers that the defendants foresaw the possibility of causing death to the victim with their behaviour.
"When outside the vehicle, for reasons not yet established, the defendants, acting in concert, struck Aissa Ait Aissa several times on the head and face", the allegations state, adding that at least one of the blows was struck with an object.
The injuries caused the death of Aissa Ait Aissa by "cerebral contusion, with subarachnoid haemorrhage and refractory and fatal cerebral oedema", on 28 March 2024, at Faro Hospital, where he had been admitted since 9 of the same month.
The session continued at 14:00 at Faro Court.
Source: Google News PT