Surprise witness says policemen beat teenager

In a surprise move by the lawyers of a man who is claiming he was beaten by police, a witness was produced yesterday in a bid to support their client's claim.

At the start of the proceedings against Claudio Overend, 19, of Swieqi, who stands charged with slightly injuring Police Inspector Pierre Grech and PC John Farrugia, the defence team called Tolga Temuge, as an independent witness.

Mr Temuge said he was on his way home on July 30 when the traffic came to a standstill in Mrabat Street, Sliema and from his motorbike he could see that a car was trying to park but couldn't because of another vehicle behind it. It was 7 p.m. and it was still bright. Moreover, Mr Temuge said he was about "a couple of cars" away from it all.

A policeman alighted and went over to a window of the car trying to park and spoke briefly to the woman driver. Her boyfriend, the accused, was standing in the parking space and when the policeman walked back to the unmarked police car there was a brief exchange of words between him and the officer.

The officer approached the young man and pushed him to the ground, Mr Temuge testified. He then signalled to the other officer and the two started beating the man, who was on the ground. Mr Temuge said he went over to see whether he could help. He 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, Mr Temuge said he didn't feel the need because they were police. But eventually he read on The Times that the man on the ground was going to be arraigned and felt he should call the man's lawyers.

Mr Temuge's cross-examination was suspended until the next sitting on October 14. Testifying before Mr Temuge, Inspector Grech gave a different version of what happened that day. He said PC Farrugia was taking him home when they had to stop because of a car that was trying to park. The men were in an unmarked police car and PC Farrugia hooted for them to keep moving. However, the driver signalled to them that she wanted to park and so he got out telling her to keep moving.

"I told her that I am a policeman. There was a lot of traffic and it was not possible for her to park there," he said. She ignored him and after he spoke to her again he heard her boyfriend say: "We are trying to park". The officer testified that the parking space was two cars away and "almost impossible to get into".

At that point, the man standing outside the car walked over and placed his hand on the inspector's chest. The officer pushed his hand away and the accused became aggressive and started arguing, even swearing. "He didn't look like someone who was very negotiable and was looking at me in a bad way".

When the inspector pushed him away because he had come almost face to face with him, Mr Overend told him: "Don't touch me" and the inspector replied: "You touched me first". The accused then pushed him to the ground. "While I was on the ground I managed to put my legs through his and topple him over. We then fought on the ground and PC Farrugia came to try and help me out".

After some time, the inspector said he managed to gain control of the situation by placing his elbow on the man's head and this happened twice given the manner in which the man was fighting.

The two officers managed to restrain him, pin him against the wall and take him to the car where he continued to shout and fight all the way to the station.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Anna Maria Micallef prosecuted. Lawyers Josè Herrera and Veronique Dalli appeared for Mr Overend.