Roula Pispirigou was unanimously sentenced to life imprisonment by the Athens Mixed Jury Court for the attempted manslaughter and the manslaughter of her 9-year-old daughter, Georgina.
After delivering the verdict, the president told the defendant, “You have the right to appeal,” with Pispirigou responding “I have already done so” with obvious irritation and displeasure on her face.
In fact, shortly afterwards, Alexis Kougias, in his statements, expressed confidence in Pispirigou’s acquittal in the second instance.
See photos, the departure of Pispirigou from the court
It is recalled that after a marathon hearing that lasted about 16 months, the court decided the guilt of the 35-year-old woman, unanimously rejecting her pending requests (e.g. production of a resuscitation bag from the Children’s ICU, further gene testing).
In addition, the court unanimously decided not to accept the requests of Pispirigou’s defence to forward the trial transcripts to the prosecution, so that Manos Daskalakis and some of the doctors’ witnesses could be prosecuted for false testimony. A similar proposal had been made earlier by the prosecutor of the court.
In particular, with its decision, the court accepted the proposal – “catapult” that had made in the audience on 25 January the prosecutor of the seat Evangelia Spyridonidou, asking for the guilt of the accused mother for both of these felonies.
It is recalled that according to the charge of attempted manslaughter, the 35-year-old mother from Patras attempted to take the life of her premature daughter for the first time at the Karamandaneio Hospital of Patras, resulting in the child becoming quadriplegic.
Subsequently, according to the indictment accepted by the court, the accused took the life of her child at the Panagiotis and Aglaia Kyriakou Children’s Hospital by administering a large dose of ketamine.
The court unanimously rejected the pending requests of the accused (e.g. production of a resuscitation bag from the Children’s ICU, further genetic testing).
Finally, the court unanimously decided not to accept the requests of the defense of Roula Pispirigou for the transmission of the trial transcripts to the prosecution, in order to prosecute Manos Daskalakis and some of the doctors’ witnesses for false testimony.
A similar proposal had been made earlier by the prosecutor of the court.
After delivering the verdict, the President said to the accused, “You have the right to appeal”, with Pispirigou replying: “I have already exercised it.”
In the meantime, the prosecutor had asked for Pispirigu to be sentenced to life imprisonment. Among other things in her proposal to the court, the prosecutor said: “In order for the judgment to be considered a conviction, a sentence must be imposed as prescribed by law. In accordance with the case law, only a sentence of life imprisonment is provided for. There is no other option.”
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Kougias: I was surprised by the decision, we will not ask for mitigating circumstances
The defendant’s lawyer Alexis Kougias announced that he will not ask for mitigating circumstances for his client.
“I was surprised by the decision, this is a huge judicial scandal and a major judicial error. I did not expect such a decision, however, we must support the justice … I am convinced of her innocence and I am confident that we will be vindicated at the second instance We did not apply for mitigating circumstances, deciding jointly with the defendant not to accept any sentence… We continue our fight for the other court” said among other things Mr. Kougias.
