Life sentences for murderers of Pakistani worker

A court handed down life sentences and an additional 32 months each on two defendants for the slaying of a 27-year-old worker from Pakistan, Sahzat Lukman, in the Athens district of Petralona a year ago.

The court decided unanimously on the guilt of Dionysis Liakopoulos and Christos Stergiopoulos over the worker's slaying, adopting the proposal by the court prosecutor, who had called for their conviction.

The two defendants were found unanimously guilty on homicide and gun-related charges.

According to the prosecutor's judgement, "the defendants carried out homicide in a calm mental state and stabbed the victim seven times. They decided jointly to take the life of an innocent foreign man and indeed of Pakistani origin. Which of the blows was lethal is of no importance. What is of importance is that they were determined from the start".

During the reading of its verdict, the court did not rule specifically that it classified the act as a "racist crime", but the presiding magistrate said the court's judgement will become obvious from the arguments included in the published decision.