Greek policeman jailed for murdering teenager

The court in the central Greek town of Amfissa ruled that officer Epaminondas Korkoneas, 39, intentionally shot dead 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropulos in the Athens district of Exarchia. His partner was convicted of complicity.

Immediately after the shooting, youths stormed through Athens, clashing with police, wrecking cars and setting fire to shops in Greece's worst riots in decades.

Anger was fed by wider resentment over economic hardships and youth unemployment. The protests quickly spread to other Greek cities and unrest went on for weeks, helping topple the conservative government about a year later.

The chair of the court read out the verdict, pronouncing Korkoneas guilty of manslaughter with malice and of violating the law on weapons use by policemen. His partner was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The courtroom in Amfissa, where the trial was moved for security reasons despite protests from the victim's parents, was packed.

Over the course of the trial the court heard testimony that the policeman had a verbal altercation with a group of youths, fired his weapon and killed the boy.

In Greece, life sentences are often eventually reduced to about 25 years.