Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Trial for Officer Epaminondas Korkoneas Accused of Shooting Teen Postponed

The trial of a Greek police officer accused of shooting a teenager a year ago was postponed until Friday, just after it had opened amid tight security after threats by anarchists.

Epaminondas Korkoneas, 38, is accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos during a December 2008 night patrol in the bohemian Athens district of Exarchia. The incident sparked several days of riots.

He is on trial for voluntary homicide. The hearing was immediately adjourned following a defence request.

One far-left extremist group threatened to kill the officer, prompting authorities to send more than 400 police to the small town of Amfissa, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Athens where the trial was held.

The trial was relocated from Athens because of security concerns, and Greece's Supreme Court has rejected bids by the teenager's family to move it back to the capital.

Korkoneas says he fired in the air to disperse youths, including Grigoropoulos, who threw stones at his squad car.

An autopsy report indicated that the boy was hit by a bullet that ricocheted onto him but lawyers for the boy's family point to the testimony of witnesses who say the policeman took aim and fired.

Korkoneas' partner Vassilios Saraliotis, 32, is also on trial accused of complicity to voluntary homicide.


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