Plane spotters had details of combat formations

The British plane spotters, jailed in Greece for espionage, took down details of Greek air force combat formations, their appeal heard today.

Their notes were very detailed and they concerned combat formations from nearly all Greek military airports.

“This data should not fall into the wrong hands,” said Captain Necktarios Samaras, who ordered the arrest of the 12 British and two Dutch plane spotters in November 2001 at an air base outside the southern city of Kalamata.

His evidence was key in the convictions in April.

The appeal hearing in Kalamata pits Greece’s tight security rules against the hobby of watching aircraft.

It was unclear how long the appeal trial would last.

“We’re used to waiting,” said Paul Coppin, 57, who organised the trip to Greece last year. “It’s better waiting here than waiting in prison.”

Several military experts are expected to testify for the defence. They have argued that plane spotting is a harmless hobby of monitoring plane types and movements.

Prosecutors have claimed Greece’s military capabilities may have been compromised at a time of heightened security following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

British and Dutch diplomats also attended the session in Kalamata, 150 miles south-west of Athens. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had called the Greek legal action “disproportionate.”

All 14 members of the group were jailed for five weeks following their arrest on felony spying charges, which were later reduced.

In April, eight defendants were sentenced to three years in prison for illegally gathering information eight others received one year jail terms for complicity. They were released pending the appeal.

All the defendants returned to Greece for the appeal except Michael Keane of Britain because of illness.

Even if the group losses the appeal, there is still an option to go to a higher court. There is also the alternative for some to convert the jail term to a fine.

Plane spotting – popular in Britain, Germany and The Netherlands – involves observing, photographing and take notes on military and civilian aircraft.

The hobby is virtually unknown in Greece, which has a tradition of tight military controls because of long-standing rivalry with neighbour Turkey. Tourists in the past have been detained for accidentally taking holiday snapshots in military areas.