26 Jan 2011

Serbian soccer thugs convicted of murder

6:26 am on 26 January 2011

A Serbian court has convicted 12 football hooligans of first degree murder for the brutal killing of a French football fan in 2009.

Two other suspects were found guilty of violent behaviour.

The court handed down sentences ranging from four to 35 years in prison for the 14 men, all hardcore fans of Partizan Belgrade.

The French fan was attacked in a bar and beaten by baseball bats before the home team's game against Toulouse, and he died in a Belgrade hospital 12 days later.

The 10-month trial was marked by the obvious fear of many of the witnesses, who often changed their testimony.