'I DON'T KNOW WHO IT WAS THAT KILLED JONNY HILES' Angry court scenes as coroner rules teen was unlawfully killed on holiday - but rules out former suspect.

Byline: Sam Malone sam.malone@walesonline.co.uk

A TEENAGER who died three days after being punched from a nightclub stage while on holiday in Greece was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.

Cardiff roller hockey player Jonny Hiles died the day before his 19th birthday after he was knocked from the 5ft high platform in a nightclub on the island of Zakynthos in July 2007.

Jonny's friends had identified Londoner Andrew Symeou as the man who threw the punch but Cardiff coroner Mary Hassell yesterday said she believed he was not responsible.

"I do not know who the person was that killed Jonathan but I know that that person was not Andrew Symeou," said Ms Hassell.

Mr Symeou faced trial in Greece on charges of killing the Llandaff North teenager and was cleared two years ago.

Following the hearing Jonny's father Denzil, who was at his son's side when he passed away, blamed himself for not getting justice for his son.

"If my attempts weren't good enough, which they weren't, then I'm to blame," he said.

Speaking to the Echo, Mr Hiles said he was resigned to the fact that no-one would ever be brought to justice.

"There's nothing more I can do anyway even if it was a different verdict.

"I haven't got the money, I've got two kids left and I'm not putting my house under offer to get money to fight a case I know I can't win."

In what was a dramatic hearing, Ms Hassell was at one point moved to call for calm after Mr Hiles and Mr Symeou became involved in a heated exchange.

Mr Hiles confronted Mr Symeou saying "you killed my son" before adding he would like to "string him up".

In response Mr Symeou, who spent a year in a Greek prison before being acquitted, told him: "Mr Hiles, I didn't kill your son, I was not there.

"This has been a big part of my life, this has been very difficult for me. It's hard hearing your name slandered in a court of law. It's not fair, it's not right."

He added: "I've never hit anybody in my life. I do sympathise with Mr Hiles and his family and I always have. To lose a son is the worst thing that can happen in life and I know that but, sir, I didn't kill your son."

The court had previously heard how on the night Jonny was fatally injured, he and five other friends had been out at the Rescue nightclub on the island's Laganas resort.

It was told Jonny was punched in the face after challenging a man after he urinated on the dance floor. Jonny's friends later claimed to have identified the man from photographs taken in the club the night before the incident.

Jonny's school friend Mark O'Gorman said he was "100% certain" the man who threw the punch was Mr Symeou.

But evidence provided by Mr Symeou and two of his friends contradicted Mr O'Gorman's version of events. They said their party did not arrive at Rescue until 4am - several hours after the incident which left Jonny with three skull fractures.

Mr Symeou's friends, Charlie Klitou and Chris Kyriacou, later signed a statement in a Greek police station saying their friend had "panicked" and fled the club after a fight over a girl. Yet the inquest heard these statements, which were used to incriminate Mr Symeou, were beaten out of the pair.

Mr Kyriacou told how every time police asked him a question he did not know the answer to they would hit him.

"At one point they grabbed my head and smacked it against the wall," he said.

"They got me to sign the statement. My only thought was to get out of the police station for the safety of my life," he added.

"I remember then the young officer who kept hitting me tried to shake my hand and he said 'I'm sorry we had to beat you' and I thought, 'Who makes a comment like that?'" Mr Klitou said how, prior to being questioned, an officer told him: "If you don't cooperate it's not going to be good for you."

He added a large officer wielded a baton in intimidating fashion while at one point another threatened to smash an ashtray over his head.

Returning a verdict of unlawful killing, Ms Hassell criticised the Greek police investigation which led to Mr Symeou's extradition and subsequent trial, describing it as "mish-mash of information lumped together". Following the verdict, Mr Symeou spoke of his relief.

He said: "I feel good. It was the right verdict and that's all I can say.

"I think this is exactly what I needed to finally get on with my life."

CORONER ADAMANT SYMEOU DID NOT THROW PUNCH EXPLAINING her decision to completely clear Andrew Symeou of any blame, coroner Mary Hassell said the process used by police to identify him was "wholly unsafe".

She said: "The identification procedure conducted by the Greek police... would not have been an acceptable way of conducting matters in this country.

"Several witnesses looked at photographs together, once when one witness had made what he thought was an identification, the other witnesses all looked at that photograph.

"This frankly placed these witnesses in an appalling situation."

She added: "While I'm satisfied they were doing their best, the reason such care is taken over identification procedures in this country is because it is so easy to get it wrong."

She also said she found the evidence given to her at the inquest by Mr Symeou and his friends Charlie Klitou and Chris Kyriacou to be " utterly truthful, completely accurate and wholly compelling" and that the friends' statements to Greek police identifying Mr Symeou were "simply not worth the paper they are written on".

"I find that not only did Andrew Symeou not punch Jonathan Hiles, he was not even in the bar at the time," she added.

"Jonathan's death is an absolute tragedy for his family but they were not the only ones who were hurt here."

Cardiff-based Detective Inspector Noel Harris also told the hearing of the frustration of police in South Wales at dealing with Greek investigators.

"There were constant requests for information and nothing was forthcoming. It was greatly frustrating," he said.

He said Greek police had failed to carry out proper forensic tests on the clothes Mr Hiles was wearing at the time.

CAPTION(S):

Jonny Hiles

Jonny's father DenzilHiles

Andrew Symeou being interviewed after leaving Cardiff Coroner's Court

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Publication:	South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales)
Geographic Code:	4EUUK
Date:	Apr 5, 2013
Words:	1089
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