The appellate trial in the case of the murder of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos and the wounding of his two friends, following a brutal attack motivated by supporters in the area of ​​Harilaou, in the early hours of February 1, 2022, has been set for January 10, 2025. One year after the verdict of the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki, the competent Appellate prosecutor set the hearing for the appeal trial, which will be held before the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki.

The first-instance decision, which was transcribed last month, has a total of 4,317 pages, of which 309 relate to the reasoning that led the 12 accused PAOK fans to prison – seven of them with life imprisonment and additional multi-year terms as accomplices in manslaughter with probable intent and the remaining five with temporary charges as mere accomplices in the same act against the 19-year-old victim.

The head of the Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, Nikos Kallides, appealed against the decision, with the main point of disagreement being the conversion of the charge of homicide from direct to possible intent.

In the multi-page rationale for the decision, which was announced by the president of the Criminal Court on July 12, 2023, there is talk of “blind fan hatred”, which led the 12 defendants to turn against their unsuspecting peers simply because they answered a question that they are fans of Ares, ignoring the fact that they were persons completely unknown to them, with whom they had no difference.

“Premeditated and organized attack”

Evaluating all the evidence and describing in detail the movements of all the persons involved, the judges concluded that the attack was “pre-planned and organized by all the accused”.

As stated in the reasoning of the decision, the elements that indicate a significant degree of pre-planning and organization are – among others – the following: ensuring numerical superiority over the victims, the selection of the victims with the sole and humble criterion of their selection that they support the Mars group, as well as the purpose, “which was not simply the intimidation but the humiliation of them by them as PAOK fans and the imposition of the same by neutralizing them by causing serious bodily harm and even killing them, a possibility which they did not rule out, but they confidently predicted as possible and he accepted it.’

Elements that lead to the same conclusion are additionally the characteristics of the attack and in particular: the short period of time in which it was decided to carry it out, the supply of weapons (such as a hammer, a folding knife of the karabit type, a sickle, a wooden pickaxe, an iron globe), the decision by some to leave mobile phones at the starting point or switch them off, masking their features, methodically trapping victims and taking them by surprise, given that this was not a pre-arranged meeting of fans of opposing teams, nor had there been any previous argument between them .

As stated in the same decision, the reason for the bloody attack seems to have been information that came to the knowledge of the convicted that the previous day an incident had taken place in the area of ​​Oriokastro, Thessaloniki, in which Aris fans had attacked young PAOK fans. chasing them with objects suitable for attack.

The killing of Alkis

Regarding the murder of Alkis, the reasoning describes that the attack against him lasted about 40 seconds and involved seven persons (who were sentenced to life imprisonment), while it is divided into two phases: the first on the steps of the building where he was with four more of his friends and the second one on the sidewalk, in the corner formed by the right-hand ledge of the stairs with the wall facing the building.

The 19-year-old attempted to escape from the windowsill to the right of the stairs, as two other young men from his group had previously managed. “Yet having already received severe blows with thrusting and slashing as well as with bruised organs, punches and kicks, and as he continued to receive blows, he fell from the window-sill to the pavement […] where although he was writhing in pain and shouting “help, I can’t, I’m in pain” and “don’t bother me any more” and while it was obvious that he had lost a lot of blood very quickly, he continued to receive severe blows falling to the ground by accused persons who had him follow to the point”.

His close friend, who was on the steps, hearing his cries, despite the fact that he himself had received multiple blows with knives and blunt instruments, “tried with a demonstration of great mental fortitude to go to him and help him, but in his attempt was prevented by three of the accused, in fact at that time he was hit on the head with a wooden stick, which bent him as he became dizzy and made a great effort not to fall down himself”.

Already bleeding profusely, Alkis managed to get up and take just three steps to an adjacent planter on the sidewalk. Due to his inability to stand, as described in the decision, he sat on the sidewalk with his back against the planter without good communication with the environment. Within a few minutes he arrived at the scene in a patrol car with the policeman running to offer first aid and with the few strength he had left he managed to point with his hand to the groin, where he had a wound on his thigh and chanting the word “here “, within a few minutes he concluded, having already lost more than three liters of blood from the particular wound.

Citing the coroner’s report, the judgment states that his death was due to fatal injuries to the lower extremities and head injuries. According to the judges, “it is not essential to prove which particular injury was inflicted by the use of some blunt object and which, for example, by kicks”, since, as it is expressly stated, all blows were equally fatal.

The potential deception

Regarding the documentation of the judges’ decision to change the charge of homicide from direct to possible intent, despite the prosecution’s proposal to the contrary (as well as for the attempted homicides against Alki’s two friends), the following are highlighted: “Yes, although it was not proven, according to the judgment of the court, that they acted with direct malice, that is, that they started the attack and acted seeking the result of the death of another, it is certain that they took his life by acting with the intention of causing at least serious bodily harm and accepting and the possibility of his death from their actions, which did occur.”

The potential malice, according to the decision, results from the weapons chosen and used by the perpetrators, from the parts of the body they hit, especially the victim’s head and thighs, from the multiplicity and great severity of the wounds they inflicted in few seconds, from pursuing and carrying out their attack, having a significant numerical superiority, making it impossible to project a defense or escape the victim. Finally, from the fact that Alkis had fallen from the blows to the pavement and while he was screaming in pain and it was already obvious that he had lost a lot of blood, they were still hitting him together and repeatedly.

Appeal against the decision

Accepting the request of Alki’s family, the Appellate Prosecutor, Nikos Kallides, filed an appeal against the decision just a few days after the verdict of the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki, with the main point of disagreement being the conversion of the charge of homicide from direct to possible intent.

This means that at the appellate trial, the convicted will be charged with first-degree murder. An appeal was filed for three convicts who were found guilty as accomplices and for whom the district attorney was of the opinion that two should be sentenced as perpetrators and the third as a moral perpetrator.