Another conviction in case of missing Alex
A Thessaloniki court on Monday handed down a jail term of four years and six months to the grandfather of two of five adolescents convicted of killing 11-year-old Georgian schoolboy Alex Meshivili in the northern town of Veria in February 2006.
The grandfather of two brothers who were transferred to a juvenile prison in February 2009 was found guilty on charges of harboring a criminal and perjury as he allegedly knew about the boys? involvement in Meshivili?s disappearance but did not tell police. The court allowed him to buy out his term for 10 euros per day or 2,180 euros in total.
The man, who was not named, insists that his grandchildren were not involved in the disappearance of the 11-year-old. The court is to summon the parents and guardians of the five convicted adolescents in coming days.
According to testimonies from the 2009 trial, the children beat the 11-year-old without intending to kill him but Meshivili died after falling down some stairs. His body, believed to have been transferred to a construction site, has not been found.
