It has been claimed that the 60-year-old British man who died after being assaulted outside an Algarve bar yesterday had been ‘pestering’ women before the incident
A Brit who died after being assaulted outside an Algarve bar had been “pestering” women before a local confronted him, it was claimed today. Police confirmed yesterday a 60-year-old British national died in the morning at a hospital in the popular tourist town of Lagos.
Police said they were quizzing a suspect who handed himself before being formally arrested when it emerged the attacked man had died. He is expected to go before a judge tomorrow morning in nearby Portimao. The judge will have to decide whether to remand him in custody or release him on bail pending an ongoing investigation.
The assault happened just after 3am yesterday in a street called Rua 25 de Abril, in an area where there are a number of late-night bars.
Paramedics, firefighters and officers from Portugal’s PSP police force responded to the emergency call, although the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) has now taken over the case.
A PSP official, confirming the victim was British and aged 60, said early yesterday afternoon: “We have a suspect who is Portuguese who is with police at the moment but I am not able to say whether he has been formally arrested at this stage.”
Another said officers from Portugal’s PJ force were now working on the case and the police focus was on obtaining the evidence needed to put the principal suspect before a judge tomorrow.
Overnight, respected Portuguese daily Correio da Manha reported the Brit had been “bothering several women” inside the bar before a local man stepped in to help them. It said the two men began rowing inside the bar before the argument finished violently when the British national was “attacked to the head.”
The newspaper added: “The suspect abandoned the scene after the incident and found out later on the victim had died in hospital.
“He went to the PSP police station in Lagos to hand himself in but wasn’t arrested… The case was passed over to the PJ which subsequently formally arrested the suspect at his home.”
Correio da Manha described him as someone who is already known to police. The PJ force has not yet made any official comment and is not expected to release any information or statement until after tomorrow’s expected court appearance, which will take place behind closed doors as is normal in Portugal.