Hooligan sentenced to 18 weekends in jail

A FOOTBALL hooligan has been sentenced to 18 consecutive weekends of detention, the first such punishment to be implemented following the passing of the relevant law last year.
Marios Papayiannis, 23, was found guilty of aggravated assault, causing grievous bodily harm and of illegally assembling outside a sports ground.

The incident took place after a high-risk football match between Anorthosis and APOEL back in April 2006. Papayiannis was one of a group of nine APOEL fans who attacked and seriously injured 56-year-old Angelos Mina.

TV cameras captured the scenes, showing Papayiannis and the others beating and kicking Mina unconscious while the victim’s eight-year-old son looked on.

The father and son were apparently targeted because the boy was wearing a sweater bearing the photo of the Anorthosis coach.

The fans shoved Mina to the ground, violently kicking him in the head and various other parts of his body. His son watched on in horror, begging them to stop.

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

Using the footage, police soon arrested one of the suspects, 27-year-old Yiannis Pipis, who pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to four months in jail. Pipis also compensated the victim to the tune of £10,000.

Papayiannis, a salesman from Nicosia, must now report to the Central Prisons every Friday at 8pm, and will be released at 5am on Monday.

He must continue to do so for 18 straight weeks.

The law is intended to crack down on known hooligans and keep them away from sports venues.

Moreover, if he once fails to show up at the Central Prisons on time, Papayiannis will automatically be sentenced to four full months’ imprisonment.

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