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Plane-spotters hope to be released

The 12 have been in custody for 10 days so far

The group were detained 10 days ago while on a plane-spotting holiday, and accused of taking photographs of a military airbase.

The examining magistrate is due to meet with a committee of air force experts, to consider a report on the photographs from intelligence officers.

That report was due to be completed last week, but on Friday lawyers said it had not yet been forwarded to the magistrate.

The 12 all deny taking photographs inside a restricted military zone, a charge which carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence in Greece.

The charges were increased to full-blown espionage after, the Greek authorities allege, notebooks were seized containing details of other airfields.

The offence is often treated harshly in Greece because of longstanding military tensions with Turkey.

British diplomats had expected the court would view the whole affair as arising out of a misunderstanding about what the hobby of plane-spotting involves.

The 11 men in the group were transferred on Friday from police holding cells in Kalamata, south-east Greece, to a prison in Nafplion, which is about 80 miles from Athens.

The sole woman, grandmother Leslie Coppin, 51, was separated from the men, including her husband Paul Coppin, and taken to Korydalos women's prison in a suburb of Athens.

Others detained include Antoni Adamiak, 36, from London; Peter Norris, 52, of Uxbridge, west London; Wayne Groves, 38, of Tamworth; Andrew Jenkins, 32, from York; Mick Keane and Steve Rush.

Two Dutch men are also being questioned.