Holidaymaker Andrew Symeou from London was extradited to Greece to face trial but was cleared of manslaughter
A teenager who was killed on holiday after falling from a stage following a single punch was unlawfully killed, a coroner ruled .
Jonathan Hiles from Cardiff was dancing in a nightclub with friends on the Greek island of Zante in July 2007 when he was hit in the face. Cardiff coroner's court heard the 18-year-old had confronted a fellow reveller who had urinated on them in the Rescue nightclub. He was rushed to a hospital in Athens where he later died – the day before his 19th birthday.
Holidaymaker Andrew Symeou, 25, from north London, was later extradited to Greece, where he spent a year in custody over the killing before eventually being cleared of manslaughter.
On Thursday the coroner, Mary Hassell, ruled that Hiles was unlawfully killed – but not by Symeou. During the hearing, Hiles's father Denzil, 62, confronted Symeou in court calling the university graduate a liar and saying he wanted to "string him up".
Symeou said: "I have never ever hit anyone in my life. And I have never, ever urinated in a public place, that's animal behaviour.
"I sympathise with Mr Hiles's family. To lose a son is the worst thing to happen in someone's life. But I did not kill your son. I am telling the truth."
The inquest heard that Symeou and Hiles did not know each other – and had been holidaying in Zante separately. Symeou and a group of friends had arrived on Zante on 8 July – with two more friends joining them on 12 July. The holiday was the first time the group had been abroad without their parents.
Hiles had flown to the resort of Laganas with a group of friends to celebrate his 19th birthday. The teenager's friends told Hassell they had been dancing on a "chest-high" stage in the club at around 1.30am on 20 July when a reveller urinated on them.
Mark O'Gorman said he saw his friend hit on the left cheek after Hiles had asked: "What are you doing?"
He said he was certain Symeou was the man he had seen hit Hiles.
But friends of the 25-year-old Londoner say they did not arrive at Rescue until 4am. And Chris Kyriacou said he was confident the group had not split up at any point of their night out.
He and another friend, Charlie Klitou, later signed a statement in a Greek police station saying Symeou had "panicked" and fled the club after a fight.
Kyriacou told the coroner the pair had been beaten into signing the statements.
He said: "First they put me in a completely dark room for around 30 minutes. Then they turned the lights on and around six other officers filed into the room. I was very scared and intimidated.
"They kept asking me 'what happened?' and I told them I didn't know.
"One officer went ballistic and grabbed me by my neck. I was then hit around the face and punched to the head.
"My thinking was 'I am just going to have to do what they want me to do'. I needed to get out of the police station for the safety of my own life.
"I did not know what was going to happen to me."
Symeou had already returned to the UK, and he told Hassell the first he was aware of Hiles' death was when he got home.
He also confirmed he had not made any attempt to leave Zante ahead of schedule - and denied suggestions from Denzil Hiles that he "killed my boy" while being heavily drunk.
Symeou said: "I did not drink lots that night, because I was out the night before and still felt ill."
He also said that after being acquitted of manslaughter by a Greek court in 2011, Denzil Hiles had shaken his hand and told him: "I believe you now Andrew. Get on with the rest of your life."
However, Hiles senior disputed this at the inquest, interjecting: "No you did not. I said you killed my boy. You can get on with the rest of your life."
He then later told Symeou: "I put it to you that you are lying - you were drunk and you did not know what you were doing.
"You got up onto that stage and punched someone and they died."
Symeou replied: "I wasn't lying and I did not lie. I know you will never believe me - but it was not me."
Returning a verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner said she was satisfied of Mr O'Gorman's evidence that Hiles had been punched – but was certain it was not by Symeou.
Hassell said: "Jonathan Hiles's death was tragic for his family – but they were not the only ones who suffered."
She added: "I do not know who the person was that punched Mr Hiles, but I am satisfied it was not Andrew Symeou."
Hassell launched a stinging attack on the way the Greek police had conducted their investigation – describing it as a "mish-mash of information lumped together". And when referring to evidence that officers in Zante had assaulted two of Symeou's friends she said: "I find their evidence utterly truthful and accurate. They were not just hit or bruised – they were badly beaten. These statements were concocted by the Greek police in a misguided effort to solve the crime."
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