The parents of a boy who was killed on his ninth birthday by a Greek motorcyclist have told of their fury after the driver never served a single day behind bars.
Tragic Jamie Leek ended up trapped under the Suzuki Hayabusa which had slid more than 135 metres down the road on the Greek island of Zante.
He had been crossing the road holding his dad Chris’ hand when he was struck by the powerful sports bike at 6.45pm on June 5, 2012.
Motorcyclist Spiridon Koklas was convicted of involuntary homicide and involuntary bodily harm in 2015, and was jailed for four years and 10 months.
But Jamie’s parents were left devastated when they discovered Koklas never served a day after the sentence which was suspended for three years.
On Tuesday (20/6) a Greek judge upheld the original suspended sentence after Koklas appealed his conviction.
Mrs Leek, 38, who flew to Greece to watch the court case with her husband, said: “Why weren’t we told at the beginning that this was a suspended sentence I will never know.
“We had no idea, the consulate had no idea so we don’t know where that’s come from.
“I’m just broken. I don’t know where to go or what to do. Surely one of us would have picked up on the suspended sentence.
“I just feel a bit stupid that this has just come out of the blue. We thought we were fully aware of everything. We’ve been let down.”
Mr Leek, 37, said that Koklas failed to turn up for the hearing and that he did not send a lawyer to represent him.
He said: “It’s just a kick in the teeth that he is walking around free. The way it stands at the moment he will never get any punishment for it.
“He hasn’t served one day. They say that he’s got it on his criminal record but that doesn’t make any difference. There’s no justice.”
The couple can appeal the decision but they have been told “it is unlikely” that the sentence will be changed to force Koklas to serve time behind bars.
Mr Leek said: “We are just in limbo now. We don’t know where to go.”
The Leek family were represented by the Paul Synetos and Associates Law Firm.
A spokeswoman said: “According to the Greek Penal Code, after passing a sentence the Court of First Instance may, at its discretion, decide that the sentence may be suspended for one to three years, provided that all the requirements of the law are met.
“In particular, the Court of First Instance in Zakynthos decided to suspend the sentence of Mr Koklas on the grounds that he had not been convicted for any crimes in the past, and on the condition that his driving license would be suspended and that he would pay a particular amount of money to the civil plaintiff, regardless of the compensation the plaintiff would receive for losses.”
Labour MP for Nottingham South Lilian Greenwood, who has been supporting the family, said: “I was deeply shocked, upset and angry that Chris and Lydia’s long quest for justice has resulted in this totally inadequate suspended sentence.
“Nothing can make up for the loss of their son Jamie, but for the motorcyclist whose reckless behaviour caused his death to remain a free man just adds to the pain. I’ll be meeting up with Chris and Lydia when they return to discuss how I can continue to support them.”
