Appeal trial for boy’s 2014 speedboat death starts Thursday
Three people who were handed suspended prison sentences in a lower court over the death of a 10-year-old boy in a speedboat accident on the island of Mykonos in August 2014 will appear at an appeals court in Syros on Thursday (Nov. 4).
The boy, Michalis Paschalakis, was on the ride with a relative at Kalo Livadi beach but lost his grip and fell into the sea. He was struck by the boat’s propeller when the driver came around to pick him up.
The subsequent investigation showed that the water sports business did not comply with any security measures: the business was operating without a legal license, the speedboat’s driver did not have a speedboat driving license, there was no observer on board the vessel to monitor the towed inflatables and guide the driver, while the weather conditions were completely unsuitable for this sport.
The court found three suspects guilty of intentionally disrupting water transport, which resulted in danger to humans and the death of the child. The speedboat driver, Stylianos Koutsodontis, was convicted to six years in prison, the water sports business owner, Agamemnon Basianas, was handed a seven-year sentence, while the person responsible for security, Anna Basiana, was sentenced to five years in jail.
The three suspects we also stripped them of their civil rights for three years. However, they never served time in jail as the court suspended their sentences until their appeal.
The boy’s father, Panagiotis Paschalakis, founded in June 2015 the non-profit Safe Water Sports organization to raise awareness on safety matters and standards relating to recreational water activities and water sports.
