www.talkcyprus.org

[Marina2005]

Jail for soccer thug who beat father as his boy looked on
By Jacqueline Theodoulou

Quote: A FOOTBALL hooligan has been jailed for four months for his part in a brutal assault on a rival fan, which shocked the nation when TV pictures were released by police in a bid to identify the culprits.

The footage showed soccer thugs beating the man unconscious while his screaming eight-year-old son looked on.

Larnaca District Court yesterday delivered the sentence against 27-year old Yiannis Pipis, a civil servant from Nicosia, who was convicted of attacking and causing grievous bodily harm to a 56-year old football fan and illegally assembling outside a sports grounds back in April.

Pipis, a temporary worker at the Interior Ministry, was one of nine Apoel fans who attacked and seriously injured Angelos Mina who had taken his boy of eight to a game in Larnaca.

The incident took place on April 29 outside the Antonis Papadopoulos stadium, following the 2-2 draw between Anorthosis Famagusta and Apoel of Nicosia. The result effectively ended Apoel’s chances of winning this year’s championship.

There had been various incidents of violence before, during and after the match, with fans of both teams hurling stones and other objects at each other.

The beating took place after the game, with the father and son targeted because the boy was wearing a sweater bearing the photo of Anorthosis’ coach and player Timour Ketsbaia.

The Apoel fans attacked Mina, shoving him to the ground and violently kicking him in the head and various other parts of his body. His son watched on in horror, screaming and pulling at his hair, begging them to stop.

The 56-year-old suffered head injuries, bruises all over his body and two abrasions in his left eye, resulting in a serious sight problem.

Mina was taken to hospital by a fellow fan and rushed into theatre.

Shortly after the attack, police issued a video, and photos of the men behind the attack, taken by a private Cypriot channel.

On the tape, Pipis could clearly be seen hurling a stone at the 56-year-old’s head, while he was on the ground and barely conscious.

After seeing his image on national television, the defendant went to the Larnaca CID and handed himself in.

When questioned by officers, Pipis replied: “What can I say? I admit (to the crime) and I apologise.”

He voluntary signed a statement incriminating himself and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On the day of his trial, Pipis compensated Mina with £10,000

In court, the defendant admitted to the crime, saying he had done it “in the heat of the moment”. The Court ruled the attack had not been premeditated.

The defence asked the court to be lenient due to Pipis’ voluntary admission to the crime. This, it was said, would encourage more law breakers to come forward and admit to their crimes.

His clean criminal record, co-operation with the authorities, his role as a family man, his apparent remorse proved by the compensation he had given to the victim, his emotional state at the time and the fact that a jail sentence would harm Pipis’ career, were among the pleas for mitigation presented by the defence.
But the judge ruled the reasons were not enough to avert imprisonment, though they would have an effect on the duration of the sentence. Pipis’ four-month sentence began from the day he was detained, on May 25.

The law provides a sentence of up to two years for causing grievous bodily harm and up to a year for illegal assembly under legislation recently adopted to deal with growing violence at sporting venues.

Concluding, the judge stressed the seriousness of such crimes and called on football fans to consider the fear, anxiety and psychological impact of both Mina and his son, who witnessed his father being beaten and later being stoned by the defendant.

The sentence was welcomed yesterday by the Chairman of the Cyprus Sports’ Association’s National Anti-violence Committee, Rikkos Theocharides, who said Pipis’ imprisonment would send out a clear message of the state’s intolerance towards such incidents.

” I welcome this punishment purely because lack of punishment is the biggest enemy of violence,” Theocharides told the Cyprus Mail last night.

“The state has shown that from now on, it will be inexorable when it comes to crimes and violence of this nature.

“This sentence will dissuade others from violence.”


Personally I dont think that 4 months is enough, they should have made this guy into an example by being much stricter on his jail sentence.

[brother]

Agreed, just the physcological effect that this has had on the child watching his father get beaten unconcious will have given him nightmares for years to come, i find the justice system in many countries including Cyprus and UK leaving a lot to be desired.

[city]

Quote: ” I welcome this punishment purely because lack of punishment is the biggest enemy of violence,” Theocharides told the Cyprus Mail last night.

Is it just me or does this sentence not make sense?? :?

They should have spend more effort on finding the other people as well! It doesn't sound as if that one person did the beating up all alone.

[brother]

Quote: The law provides a sentence of up to two years for causing grievous bodily harm and up to a year for illegal assembly under legislation recently adopted to deal with growing violence at sporting venues.

Concluding, the judge stressed the seriousness of such crimes and called on football fans to consider the fear, anxiety and psychological impact of both Mina and his son, who witnessed his father being beaten and later being stoned by

This part really irritates me, the accused obviously committed and warrented that the full force of the law is implied but the judge felt a smack on the hand, four month sentence and out in 2 months for good behaviour makes up for it.

I hope a gang of violent hooligans does the same to him and then lets see if he gives just 4 months punishment.

[Marina2005]

Quote: The sentence was welcomed yesterday by the Chairman of the Cyprus Sports’ Association’s National Anti-violence Committee, Rikkos Theocharides, who said Pipis’ imprisonment would send out a clear message of the state’s intolerance towards such incidents.

4 months, what a bloody joke!!! I bet the hooligans are laughing their heads off.

[petethegreek]

Until the government gets its finger out and gives tougher sentences to these hooligans then the problem will continue.

4 months is a joke. I wonder if he keeps his job?

Wouldn't happen over here.

[cypezokyli]

i would expect / hope that the ones who did not yet surrendered shoud sit in jail longer

[Khan]

4 months? 4 years more like. These animals can come across civilised when they want to, but they still remain animals.

[Hazza]

There are heavy rumours going that the accused offered a huge bribe to the victim, which was acceptedin order to drop the majority of charges.

As I said, they are rumours, so how true they are, I don't know.

[Marina2005]

Well it does say that he gave Mina £10,000.00 conpensation (on the day of the trial!!), could it be that?

[Hazza]

Doh........should have read the first post. Could well be that Marina.