Jail term for school vandal
A court yesterday imposed a 15-month jail sentence on an 18-year-old thought to be one of the ringleaders of the occupation of a school complex in Pangrati, eastern Athens, that was ransacked last month. The prosecutor had asked for «an example to be made» of the teenager, who is not a student, to deter other schoolchildren thinking of staging lockouts or sit-in protests at their schools. «The occupation of schools has become fashionable and we have to tackle it,» said prosecutor S. Karamanis. «We have to rein them in.» Fourteen teenage students appeared in court on Thursday accused of causing some 1 million euros’ worth of damage to the complex, which houses six schools. Three out-of-school suspects, including the 18-year-old sentenced yesterday, have also been accused of wreaking havoc in classrooms, laboratories and offices. Witnesses said the teenager obtained the keys to the school and threw water over teachers and students when they attempted to enter the complex. He appealed the sentence and was released.
