The session of the Mixed Jury Court of Appeals of Lamia was eventful, as it examined whether or not to grant the mitigating factor of prior lawful conduct to former special guard Epaminondas Korkoneas, who was convicted for the murder of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in December 2008.

According to lamiareport.gr, after eight hours full of confrontations, lawsuits, and unexpected incidents, the court unanimously rejected the granting of the mitigating factor that had led to his release from prison in 2019. This decision was in line with the recommendation of the Prosecutor, who argued that the principle of proportionality should be applied in the administration of justice.

This was followed by the announcement of the sentence: life imprisonment – unanimously decided – which means that, under the previous Penal Code, he is required to serve 16 years before being eligible to apply for conditional release. Korkoneas had served 11 years until 2019 and, after a series of annulments of the Court of Appeals decisions that had released him, he served an additional 16 months.

The hearing repeatedly reached high levels of tension, prompting the court to call several recesses. The request for the disqualification of the bench submitted by Zoe Konstantopoulou was rejected twice.

She even filed a new lawsuit against the presiding judge for false certification and false minutes, while tensions escalated during a confrontation with the defense attorney, Ms. Vasso Pantazi. The police were called in to proceed with the formal procedures for filing lawsuits, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).

The police officers who arrived stated that they could not act as investigative officers and informed that Ms. Konstantopoulou would need to go to the Police Directorate building to follow the legal process. This prompted a reaction from Ms. Konstantopoulou, who threatened to sue the police officers as well.