Following hot-on-the-heels of warnings about restaurants charging exorbitant prices, the Resident has learnt of a Lisbon nightspot where bully-boy security guards literally terrorise customers. At least one has suffered horrific injuries which left him with his jaw broken in two places, and nerve damage down one side of his face.
Don Samkange lost consciousness during the attack, and weeks on still cannot chew or eat solid food.
He was out on the town at Place Lisbon – a venue he has since discovered to be notorious on holiday websites like Tripadvisor.
“Avoid this place”, says one commentator going by the name Adam B, while others talk about a “scam”.
Young women too have posted warnings, including: “DO NOT GO HERE!!! Please don’t put yourself through this especially if you’re women!!!!” (sic).
The only reason we heard about the situation was that Samkange claims Lisbon PSP have done nothing about his complaint, despite the fact that he had a witness who came forwards, backing the story up in gruesome detail.
The injured young man believes his attack was racially-motivated. “I am a black male”, he told us.
But he is at a loss to explain the lack of follow-through by police.
PSP agents told him that the “difficulty” with his case “is that the security guards aren’t hired on proper contracts”.
Place Lisbon has allegedly “just claimed that the attackers don’t work for them, and hidden them for a while”.
The police have not been in touch with Samkange since he filed his official complaint before returning to UK for surgery on June 26, and now the injured man is concerned that other holidaymakers may fall foul of the same treatment.
“I honestly believe that until someone dies, these guards will be allowed to carry on”.
With 64% of Tripadvisor’s 16 ratings for the nightspot classifying it as “terrible”, the Resident has attempted to be in touch over the phone.
We spoke to a man who said he had nothing to do with the business but would pass our inquiries on to someone who does.
Meantime, Samkange has explained to us what happened to him, in the early hours of Saturday Jue 24 in what was the middle of his holiday.
“I was attacked by a group of bouncers in the club toilet for no apparent reason. They punched me until I lost consciousness and stomped on my face and neck whilst I was on the floor, ignoring my scream that I couldn’t breathe.
“My phone and cash were stolen from my person, and I was left literally drenched in blood. I somehow found my way outside and found some people from my hostel who called the police and an ambulance.
“The security guards lied to everyone and said I was doing cocaine and then changed their story to say that I was trying to buy cocaine – I don’t do drugs, but I had tests which came back negative for cocaine and low blood alcohol.
“Regardless, drugs aren’t a justification for that type of violence. I personally think that the attack was possibly racially motivated.
“I spent 2 days in a local hospital where they discovered two breaks to my jaw which required surgery. “Fortunately, I was able to travel home on the Monday morning (26th) to London and go straight to hospital where I was able to have surgery (Tues 27th) and then discharged to recover on Wednesday (28th).
“As well as the breaks to my jaw, I’ve had a fractured finger, damage to my throat and loss of feeling my face which could take 6 months to come back if at all.
“The recovery will take months and a month later I still can’t chew and eat solid foods and am on a soft food/liquid diet.
He stressed that coming forwards with his story now is the “only thing” he feels he can do to “publicise this terrible place and hopefully stop anything like this from happening again”.
Once we have heard from the management of Place Lisbon, we will include its comments.
Tripadvisor’s website carries the following reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.pt/Attraction_Review-g189158-d7102007-Reviews-Place_Lisbon-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html
