Closing arguments in trial of Rato Police Station officers scheduled for 19 November
The trial of two PSP officers accused of torture and rape reaches its final stage, with closing arguments scheduled for 19 November in Lisbon.
Trial of Rato police officers enters final phase in Lisbon
The closing arguments in the trial of two officers from the Rato Police Station in Lisbon, accused of torture and rape, are scheduled for 19 November at 14:00. The information was provided to news agency Lusa by the Lisbon District Court and confirmed by Observador.
The proceedings took place over 15 sessions, held between 11 September and 5 November, all held in closed session, as determined in the first session, due to the nature of the crimes in question.
Two defendants with distinct charges
The 26-year-old officer, who is under house arrest, faces seven charges: two of torture, three of abuse of power, one of assault causing injury and one of possession of a prohibited weapon. The presentation of evidence for his defence has been completed.
The main defendant in the case is 22 years old, is in pre-trial detention and was arrested in July 2025. He faces 29 charges: six of torture, five of rape — four attempted and one completed — seven of abuse of power, three of aggravated assault, two of document falsification, one of aggravated theft, one of violation of correspondence, two of robbery and two of possession of a prohibited weapon. The presentation of evidence relating to this defendant has begun and should be completed on the morning of 19 November, before the closing arguments.
Assaults filmed and shared in WhatsApp groups
According to the Public Prosecutor's indictment, between July 2024 and March 2025, the two officers assaulted with "punches and slaps and blows to the head people they had arrested, having even filmed and photographed some of these situations and the respective victims". In some cases, they allegedly sodomised or attempted to sodomise with an object some of the detained men.
The victims were predominantly drug addicts, people who committed minor offences, many of them foreign nationals in irregular situation in Portugal or homeless. The Public Prosecutor adds in the indictment that some of the images of the abuse were shared in WhatsApp groups with dozens of other PSP officers.
Investigation confirmed sufficient evidence
The case went through an investigation phase, during which the judge found there to be "sufficient evidence" that the officers committed the crimes of which they are accused, also pointing to a "serious likelihood" of conviction at the end of the trial.
Following the closing arguments and any statements by the defendants, the court will schedule the reading of the verdict. This session will be open to the public.
Source: Observador