Cop jailed for killing robber
An Athens court yesterday sentenced a policeman to 12-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of a man he shot after an attempted robbery almost two years ago. The court found 40-year-old Theodoros Katsas guilty of premeditated murder after using force beyond that necessary for self-defense. However, the court did not consider Katsas a flight risk and set him free, pending an appeal. The incident in question took place on October 24, 2002 in the suburb of Glyfada. Katsas, who was off duty at the time, said he saw three youths on two motorbikes attempt to steal a handbag from a woman driving the car in front of him. By flashing his car lights and sounding his horn, Katsas said he prevented the robbery. He gave chase, but the three youths, including 23-year-old Anastasios Limouras, threw a stone at his car, smashing his windshield and injuring him in the leg. At that point, the officer fired the fatal shot at Limouras, injuring him in the head. During his testimony, the officer said he had not intended to kill Limouras but merely wanted to scare him.
