British Banker Claims Self-Defence in Lisbon Teenager Stabbing Trial
A British banking executive accused of murdering a teenager with a broken bottle in Portugal has insisted in court that he was acting to defend his friend during a violent street altercation. Daniel Dunbar, who was extradited from Britain after a two-year manhunt, is on trial in Lisbon for the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Daniel Galhanas nearly ten months ago.
The Fatal Incident in Bairro Alto
The horrific incident occurred in the early hours of October 14, 2023, in Lisbon's trendy Bairro Alto neighbourhood. According to prosecution documents, Dunbar and a group of seven holidaymaker friends became involved in a heated exchange with a Portuguese group after witnessing them assaulting a man named Duarte Pereira Paz. Video footage captured the deadly brawl, showing one man launching a bottle before stabbing Galhanas, who then collapsed bleeding on the cobbled streets.
Prosecutors allege in their seven-page indictment that Dunbar armed himself with the neck of a broken bottle, hid it in his left hand, and approached Galhanas before striking him on the right side of the neck. The victim suffered fatal injuries to his carotid artery and jugular vein, dying shortly after arrival at Lisbon's Sao Joao Hospital.
Dunbar's Courtroom Testimony
Taking the stand on Thursday, Dunbar presented a different version of events. The British national, who faces a potential life sentence if convicted, told the court: 'We saw a group assaulting another person as we were walking down the street and asked them to stop. They began to chase after us, saying they were going to stab us, and we threw bottles at them.'
He continued: 'When a friend of ours looked at them and offered them a handshake so they'd stop, he was hit by a bottle, and I panicked and ran to defend him.' Dunbar denied prosecution claims that he was hiding the broken bottle, stating: 'I just remember the sound of the broken bottle, it was all very confusing.'
Flight from Portugal and Extradition Battle
Dunbar admitted to making what he called a 'mistake' by fleeing Portugal for Britain the day after the incident. 'I saw the video the day afterwards and realised someone had died,' he told the court. 'I should have gone to the police instead of leaving the country, but I was immature, I didn't trust the police, and I was afraid of being imprisoned.'
Prosecutors allege that Dunbar and his friends purchased new return tickets to the UK after the killing, departing from Faro Airport instead of Lisbon Airport to avoid police detection. The British national was eventually arrested in the UK in June following an extensive international manhunt.
Before his extradition, it emerged that Dunbar, from Sidcup in Kent, had been working in the Investor Management Department at the Royal Bank of Canada in a role focused on legal compliance. Companies House records show he previously ran his own financial advisory company called Dunbar Eight Limited.
Contested Extradition and Mental Health Claims
Dunbar fought extradition to Portugal, claiming he suffered from PTSD, was a suicide risk, and was mentally unstable due to rugby-related injuries. However, District Judge David Robinson ruled in March last year that extradition should proceed, noting in his judgment: 'Immediately prior to the RP's arrest, he was living independently and working in a responsible position for a bank. In my judgment, the circumstances do not come close to being such that the requested person's extradition would be oppressive on account of his mental condition.'
The judge acknowledged the stress Dunbar faced but concluded: 'I am satisfied that the RP's extradition would not be disproportionate.' The maximum sentence for the homicide charge ranges from 12 years to a 25-year life term.
Victim's Family Seeks Justice
Family members have strongly contested local reports that suggested Galhanas was part of a gang of muggers, insisting he was merely trying to help a friend when attacked. An online petition demanding 'justice for Daniel Galhanas' described the victim as 'an honest, responsible young man and a friend to EVERYONE, who always acted in the name of PEACE.'
The petition added: 'Daniel had finished his studies and got his first job at the Public Security Police workshops and was therefore very happy and proud. In his own words, he was finally going to 'be able to help his mother...'!' It concluded with a poignant statement about the family's grief: 'Now there is a whole family torn apart, trying to survive an immeasurable grief.'
Dunbar's trial is scheduled to resume next week and is expected to conclude during the second week of next month, with the court weighing the conflicting accounts of that fatal October night in Lisbon.
