By Charlie Charalambous
ATTEMPTED murder suspect Panicos Aeroporos incurred the wrath of his older brother for failing to kill Larnaca club owner Antonis Fanieros, a court heard yesterday.
Tassos Simellides, chief prosecution witness in the Fanieros trial, told Nicosia Assizes how the younger Aeroporos was denounced by brother Hambis for bungling the hit on Fanieros on May 29.
The witness revealed to the court what was said by 35-year-old Hambis when he and Panicos were picked up hours after the drive-by shooting.
According to Simellides, Hambis told Panicos in the car:
“You didn’t do anything to Fanieros, he’s still alive. You are the worst one in the family and you’ve always been like that.”
Three Aeroporos brothers – Hambis, Andros, 30 and Panicos, 25 – are charged with conspiracy and the attempted murder of Antonis Fanieros.
All three deny the charges.
Father of three Simellides has already been sentenced to nine years in prison for his part in the shooting.
During his second day of testimony, Simellides detailed how the Kalashnikov, motorbike, crash helmets and items of clothing used during the attack were disposed of.
All items were submitted as evidence yesterday and the courtroom had to move to the corridors for Simellides to identify the Suzuki superbike allegedly used in the shooting.
The court also heard how Simellides and Panicos were in mobile phone contact with the other Aeroporos brothers who helped them to give police the slip.
Earlier, Simellides described how after they had evaded police in their escape following the shooting, Hambis took him to a relative’s house to shower and instructed him to tell his wife to put together three sets of trousers and tops in a move to fool the police.
“I told her to do it and said someone would pick them up… we got dressed in the new clothes and got rid of the old ones,” said Simellides.
The day after the Larnaca shooting, Simellides said he met up with Andros and Panicos to discuss how to dispose the crash helmets.
Later that day, all three met to eat souvlakia and discuss their next move. Hambis was also present.
Hambis told them that he’d phoned the Antenna correspondent in Limassol who said “Fanieros wasn’t going to die and the police were ready to make arrests,” the court heard.
Simellides added: “I went home and soon as I got there I was arrested for the attempted murder of Fanieros.”
Asked by the prosecution why it took him two weeks after his arrest to give a statement against the brothers, Simellides said: “Because it (the attempted murder) was something I didn’t want to do but did so under force and blackmail.”
He explained that the son of Fanieros, Loukas, was a close friend and that Antonis himself had lent him money to start a pub.
Simellides also said that the safety of his family had been a major concern.
“On the second court remand I heard from my wife that she was receiving calls from someone. It was Andros Aeroporos, who told her to keep her mouth shut.
“After this, I started to worry about my family and it troubled me daily.”
Simellides said he agreed to give a statement implicating the Aeroporos brothers after the police assured him his family would be completely safe.
He is now being kept at a secure house and his every movement is accompanied by a team of bodyguards.
