A key witness in the trial of two PSP officers accused over the death of a Moroccan man in Olhão has told Faro court that he cannot remember the alleged assault at the centre of the case.
Hassan Ait Rahou, 27, was with Aissa Ait Aissa on the night that ultimately led to his friend’s death in March 2024 but told judges that his memories of what happened inside and around the police patrol car are fragmentary.
Aissa died after spending 20 days in intensive care at Faro Hospital. PSP officers Jorge Sousa and Pedro Barbosa, who are currently suspended from duty, are accused by prosecutors of violently assaulting him after taking both men away from Olhão in a patrol car.
However, both officers deny responsibility for his death.
Hassan was heard on Thursday after judges partly accepted a request from the lawyer representing Aissa’s parents, who argued that the witness could feel intimidated by having the officers in the courtroom.
Giving evidence through an interpreter, Hassan said both he and Aissa had taken Rivotril tablets supplied by another friend before the incident.
He told the court they had taken the medication because they wanted to “forget” what was happening for a few hours and acknowledged that he was heavily under its influence.
After leaving home, the two men went to a supermarket, where Hassan said Aissa hid products inside his clothing.
Staff called police, despite Hassan saying that he was willing to pay for the goods.
Hassan remembered being “taken by force” to the police car, where both men were handcuffed behind their backs.
He said officers told them they were being taken to the police station. But his recollection of what happened afterwards was fragmented.
He described himself as drifting between sleep and consciousness during the journey and said he “wasn’t in his right mind”.
His last memory of Aissa, he told the court, was hearing his friend ask for his handcuffs to be loosened because they were too tight.
His next clear memory was of being treated in an ambulance and taken to hospital, Rahou claims.
Asked directly by the lawyer representing Aissa’s parents whether he remembered the PSP officers assaulting them, Hassan said he did not.
His testimony was also challenged by the defence over inconsistencies with earlier statements.
At one point, he initially placed an earlier encounter with the same officers on the previous day before accepting that it had happened on the afternoon of the incident itself.
He also told the court that the officer who had tried to calm the two friends inside the patrol car had been sitting in the passenger seat, whereas in his 2024 statement he had identified that officer as the driver.
Prosecutors allege violent assault
The two officers face two counts of aggravated kidnapping and one count of aggravated homicide over events dating back to March 2024.
According to the prosecution, the officers drove the two men away from Olhão and violently assaulted Aissa.
Prosecutors allege the officers “seriously abused” their authority and struck Aissa several times in the head and face, knowing that the blows could cause his death.
Aissa died on March 28, 2024, following 20 days in intensive care.
At the opening of the trial, Sousa and Barbosa denied causing Aissa’s death.
They said police had been called to the supermarket but that, after no formal complaint was made over the disturbance, they agreed to take the two men home.
According to their account, the pair were handcuffed in the patrol car with their consent and were later left conscious on a municipal road in Pechão.
The trial is due to resume on November 10 at 9.15am, when Aissa’s parents and the final two witnesses are expected to give evidence.
His parents have joined the proceedings as assistentes – allowing them to participate formally in the criminal case – and are seeking approximately €1.6 million in compensation.
Source: Lusa