Twelve people tried for the murder of a 19-year-old football fan last year in Greece received heavy sentences on Wednesday, according to the Athens Agency. Seven defendants were found guilty of intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison. The other five received sentences of more than 19 years for complicity. The oldest is 26 years old. The Assize Court of Thessaloniki, the second city of Greece, in the north of the country, where the murder took place on February 1, 2022, did not grant any mitigating circumstances.
“An organized and planned attack”
The defendants had been in pre-trial detention since last year. The trial began on January 18. After 47 hearings, the hearing of more than 75 witnesses and the presentation of nearly 300 documents, the prosecutor spoke of “an attack organized and planned until the last second with the intention of homicide against all the victims”, according to Ana.
On the night of February 1, 2022, the twelve accused, members of the PAOK FC supporters club, had launched a punitive expedition through the streets of Thessaloniki, armed with knives and iron bars. They had attacked Alkis Kampanos and four of his friends when they learned they were supporting rival club Aris FC. Beaten for a minute, the young man succumbed to his injuries. Two of his friends were injured in the same attack.