Karl Stagno-Navarra
The Labour Party will be calling for a public inquiry into the alleged series of reports on police beatings, should a series of parliamentary questions reveal a pattern of abuse.
The PL spokesman for justice Josè Herrera, who is also defence counsel to a young man who alleges he was brutally beaten by two plain clothes police officers over a parking place in Sliema, has challenged Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici to answer questions in Parliament over the series of reports of alleged police brutality that have come to light through the media.
“I am asking the minister to give me the details of how many reports on police brutality have been filed by citizens this year, what investigations have been carried out and what the conclusions were,” Josè Herrera said, adding that if it transpires that the replies reveal a “dangerous pattern” then he will definitely call for a public inquiry to investigate such abuses.
Asked to comment about this latest case of alleged police brutality, the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs replied that “although each case has its particular merits, this one is currently sub judice.
“The Ministry trusts that the Court will ensure that justice prevails and is confident that whoever is found to have erred will face the consequences of his mistakes at law.” Last Friday, the Labour MP produced a surprise independent witness in court who came forward to “correct” the version of facts produced by a police inspector and a constable against Claudio Overend, 19 from Swieqi.
The witness also prompted Magistrate Edwina Grima to order the Police Commissioner to produce all the information in hand at the internal investigations unit that is supposedly investigating the alleged incident, following the official complaint filed by the accused’s family.
It was the second such notification to be issued by Magistrate Edwina Grima, after the first one issued on August 2, remained unanswered in her court.
The witness, Tolga Temuge, explained that he felt obliged to come forward and testify about what happened in Mrabat Street in Sliema on July 30, after reading in a newspaper what the police said about the youth, who was charged with assaulting the officers.
Tolga Temuge was on his way home on his motorbike when the traffic came to a standstill in Mrabat Street, Sliema and he could see that a car was trying to park but was obstructed by another vehicle that stopped right behind it.
The witness explained that a man (who later transpired to be Police Inspector Pierre Grech from the Drug Squad) came out of the car that blocked the parking space and went over to the female driver who was trying to reverse and park.
The driver’s boyfriend, Claudio Overend (the accused) was standing in the parking space and when the policeman walked back to the unmarked car there was a brief exchange of words between him and the officer.
According to the witness, the officer approached the young man and pushed him to the ground, then signalled to the other officer who came to assist him, and the two started beating the man, on the ground.
Tolga Temuge said he went over to see whether he could help and saw that one of the officers was holding the young man’s head down as the other punched him. “They then pushed him up onto a wall, as if they were going to arrest him, which I thought was a bit unusual in a fight.” (He still did not yet know they were policemen). Eventually, he heard one of them say ‘Pulizija’ (police) and the fight stopped.”
When asked whether he had filed a police report about the incident, the witness said he didn’t feel the need because they were police. But eventually he read on a newspaper that the man on the ground was going to be arraigned and felt he should call the man’s lawyers, after which he came forward to testify.
During last Friday’s heated sitting, presided by Magistrate Edwina Grima, Police Inspector Pierre Grech and his constable John Farrugia – the officers involved in the incident – also had a lawyer present.
Upon seeing this, defence counsel José Herrera turned to Magistrate Grima, to why the police officers had a lawyer appearing in their interest, and to have the fact registered in the court proceedings.
While Inspector Grech produced a series of photographs of some grazes on his elbow taken by a forensic department photographer, PC John Farrugia produced a medical certificate issued by his wife, who happens to be a medical doctor.
During the sitting, it was revealed that Claudio Overend was taken to the St Julian’s police station, detained for 48 hours in a cell, interrogated twice and subsequently arraigned in court under arrest. His girlfriend – who still has to testify – claims she was verbally abused and manhandled by the police.
Meanwhile, MaltaToday is still waiting for official replies from the Police on the investigations initiated a week ago following a report carried in this newspaper about another alleged case of police misconduct in St Julian’s. An 18-year-old woman from San Gwann sustained severe bruising at the hands of four police officers who arrested her for having held a Chihuahua-sized dog in a bag while walking on St Georges Bay.
The woman was dragged into a police car and slammed into a cell at the St Julian’s police station while also being manhandled.
Since the report, Police Superintendent Sharon Tanti has denied having told the young woman not to report the case to the Floriana HQ, but just as this paper published the story, the woman was served with a Court summons charged with disobeying police orders.
In yet another case, the police have also not answered this newspaper’s question as to whether any police officers will be charged over the alleged beating of 21-year-old Trevor Ciangura from Rabat who was beaten inside the St Julian’s police station last March.
An internal investigations unit report about the incident was forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for recommendations, however no official response was forwarded yet.
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