Five boys on Greece murder charge

Alex Meshiesvili, 11, disappeared in February, but despite intensive police searches his body has never been found.

The boys accused of murder originally told police in June that they beat Alex to death before hiding his body.

They then retracted their statements but were re-interviewed in the presence of child psychologists, and could now face lengthy sentences if convicted.

Two of the boys charged are Greek, two are Albanian, while the fifth suspect is Romanian.

The prosecutor has also formally charged their parents with failure to supervise their children.

Under Greek law, those aged under 12 could be placed in supervision, while those aged 12 or older could face 20 years in juvenile institutions.

Overdose

Despite the charges, there remains no sign of the missing boy's body.

Alex Meshiesvili was said to be an intelligent boy, who was successful at school.

In their statements in June, the five suspects told police they fought with their schoolmate, beat him and left him in a basement, Reuters reported.

His mother, Natela Ichuadze, has become a regular sight on Greek TV, carrying a sign asking for information about the whereabouts of her son.

She staged a five-day vigil outside the homes of the suspects earlier this month carrying the mock blood-soaked sign.

But her anguish was clear: earlier this week she was reported to have taken an overdose after police told her there was very little chance of ever finding her son's body.