Plane-spotters to face Greek trial

The group deny all charges of spying

The trial of 12 British plane-spotters arrested in Greece on spying charges is expected to begin next month.

The 11 men and one woman could face up to five years in jail if they are found guilty of espionage.

They were held in prison for six weeks after being accused of defying a ban on photography during an air show in the town of Kalamata, in the southern Peloponnese.

All the members of the group, arrested in November at a time of heightened security, deny spying and claim they received an official invitation to the event.

Charges reduced

The trial is expected to start on April 24 and is scheduled to last two days, subject to time conditions which the group's lawyer Yannis Zacharias believes will be met.

The group spent six weeks in jail

The Britons and two Dutch plane-spotters were released in December on bail of around £9,000 each after judges reduced the charge against them to a misdemeanour of gathering secret information.

Sheila Groves, the mother of accused 38-year-old Wayne Groves, from Tamworth, said her son was looking forward to getting it "over and done with".

She added: "He's got no worries about going out there. He's going to clear his name and then come back and get on with things."

On trial

The other Britons facing trial are:

• Paul Coppin, 57, of Mildenhall, Suffolk, and his wife Lesley, 51
• Peter Norris, 52, of Uxbridge, west London
• Antoni Adamiak, 37, of London
• Andrew Jenkins, 32, of York
• Michael Bussell, 47, of Swanland, near Hull
• Michael Keane, 57, of Dartford, Kent
• Steven Rush, 38, from Caterham, Surrey
• Christopher Wilson, 46, who lives close to Gatwick Airport
• Graham Arnold, 38, from Ottershaw, Surrey
• Gary Fagan, 28, from Kegworth, Leicestershire.

The Dutch plane-spotters are Patrick Dirksen, 27, from Eindhoven and Frank Mink, 28, from Den Helder.