After his confession to the investigator, the 25-year-old trapper – known as Ricta – who is accused along with another person, of the attack and wounding of the student, was remanded in custody.
Ricta, who is charged with attempted murder, entered the office of the 7th District Investigator at about 11 a.m. and remained for about two and a half hours.
«He asked me something and I took it as irony. I hit him once but there is no way that hit caused the hematoma on the 23-year-old’s head,” the trapper reportedly told the investigator.
Watch video:
According to reports, the defendant argues that the victim was not knocked to the ground by his own blow and that he did not realize the serious injury of the 23-year-old, since after the assault which was allegedly caused by a misunderstanding, the defendants remained at the scene for about ten minutes and provided first aid, until the student got up and left with his group.
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How was the attack on the student?
Everything seems to have happened at 02.30 in the morning on Friday January 26. The 23-year-old’s friend who was with him that night reportedly testified to the Police that the victim asked the trapper “are you famous?” and then Ricta answered him and threw “bottles” on his head. A second person who was with him kicked him in the chest and he fell to the ground with a head injury.
As soon as the 23-year-old was on the ground, the trapper together with the student’s friends started giving him first aid, while after about ten minutes the 23-year-old recovered and was taken home by his group. In the afternoon of the same day, his condition worsened, as a result of which he was rushed to the AHEPA hospital, and to this day he is intubated in the ICU and in critical condition.
Watch a video with the statement of the trapper’s defense attorney, Thodoris Karagiannis:
It is recalled that the 25-year-old trapper was arrested in the area of Ladadiki, in Thessaloniki, in execution of an arrest warrant that had been issued against him in the previous 24 hours by the investigative authorities of the city for the act of attempted murder, together.
According to reports, the student’s health condition remains very serious and shows no obvious signs of improvement. The 22-year-old has a hematoma on his head and also has brain injuries. When he was taken to the hospital he had to undergo a six-hour operation.
What the lawyer for the student’s family says
He described the attack on the 23-year-old student in Thessaloniki, by the trapper Ricta and an unknown man, as unnecessary and unprovoked, the lawyer representing the victim’s family.
Mr. Pavlos Karkalis stated in his statements that the attack took place in the middle of the road, without any reason for the two defendants to attack and for the victim to end up seriously injured in the Intensive Care Unit.
“It is a given that the incident started after a report from the children in relation to the accused, that is to say that “he is known” and there was no other comment”, said Mr. Karkalis.
“Panagiotis is hospitalized in a very difficult condition and remains intubated for the tenth day. His condition is critical and we all wish for the child’s recovery. What interests us is that justice be served for the heinous act committed against Panagiotis”, he noted.
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