The measure of coercion was known this Wednesday.
The three young men arrested for assaults on a Nepalese immigrant in Olhão, on January 25, were subject to the measure of detention of preventive detention.
Speaking to CNN Portugal, the defense contested the decision, arguing that the measure is “excessive” because they are “16-year-olds with no criminal record.
For André Caetano, who represents one of the young detainees in this process, the “prison environment is not appropriate for kids as young as these”, so as soon as conditions are met, he will try to revert the measure of coercion to house arrest.
For the time being, the three detainees will be taken to the Faro prison establishment.
The lawyer, who also pointed out that the court justified the decision with the “social alarm” that the case had generated, and with the guarantee of “public order”, adds that the adolescents are sorry: “They’ve committed completely inconsequential acts and are quite frightened”, he noted.
The youths were indicted for five counts of robbery, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal damage with violence.
Recall that three youths were arrested by the PSP on Monday for assaults on a Nepalese immigrant in Olhão, having been identified in total 11, between 14 and 16 years, for participating in or witnessing the acts.
The detainees, all aged 16, are “the most active and violent” of the group, composed of eight boys and three girls, all students and residents of Olhão.
“It was possible to relate the group with eight occurrences, five for robberies and three of assaults, only in the month of January,” stressed the district commander of Faro PSP, Dário Prates.
The aggression committed against the Nepalese immigrant in Olhão (Faro district), which became public with the dissemination of a video on social networks, was condemned by the Portuguese authorities, who considered it “unacceptable behavior” that must be “exemplarily punished”.
In addition to the violent aggression, which occurred on January 25, the group stole the backpack of the victim, who did not press charges.
As can be seen in the released video, the Nepalese citizen begged them to stop beating him and to return at least his documents.