Izvor: N1 televizija, 27.Mar.2018, 10:42 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Second reduced sentence for French soccer fan murder
For the second time since 2011, Serbia’s Appeal Court on Tuesday (March 27) has reduced jail term to a local soccer fan from 12 to 10 years for killing a Frenchman in Belgrade in 2009
Djordje Prelic, a hardcore fan of Partizan FC Belgrade, was among 12 others convicted of first degree murder of Brice Taton in 2011. Two other suspects were found guilty of violent behaviour.
Taton was attacked in a bar and beaten by baseball bats ahead of Toulouse's 3-2 Europa League >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << victory over Partizan on September 17, 2009 and died in a Belgrade hospital 12 days later.
The first 10-month trial was marked by the obvious fear of many of the witnesses who often changed their testimony. None of the witnesses called, including several French nationals and two protected witnesses, shed light on what happened with Taton or who beat him.
Nevertheless, Prelic, who was at large, was sentenced to 35-year imprisonment, but the Appeal Court reduce the sentence to 15 years in 2012. The latest verdict further reduced it to 10 years.
The Court said it took into account some mitigating circumstances, like Prelic’s age, dissent behaviour before the Court and confession to some of the facts related to the event that led to the murder. The facts, the Court said, alleviated the establishment of the sequence of event and Prelic’s role in it.
The Court also said it considered Prelic’s earlier life and the fact he had never been convicted of a felony. However, the Insider, independent TV serial, proved that prior to murdering Taton, at least 20 criminal charges were brought against Prelic, but he had never been processed.
Prelic was first tried in absentia since he remained at large until 2014. Following the extradition he demanded a new trial. The new sentence was reduced to 12 from 35 years, before it was further reduced to 10 years, the minimum punishment for the crime he had been convicted of committing.
Serbia is facing a huge problem with hooligans among soccer fans who are basically untouchable part of society, being the most radical nationalist and homophobic groups, often linked to organised crime. The country’s President Aleksandar Vucic, himself a big soccer fan, has said the state did not have enough power to deal with hooligans.
