Plane spotter decision delayed

The Government faces a full-scale diplomatic row over the 12 British plane spotters jailed in Greece.

The group had a further setback today as they were told they must wait yet again to learn if they will face charges of espionage.

Three judges meeting in the Greek town of Kalamata heard a 40-minute submission from the defence lawyer of the 12 maintaining there was no case to answer.

However, the judges, after retiring to consider their decision, adjourned the hearing until tomorrow morning for further debate, with suggestions that their verdict could be delayed until Thursday.

The court has the option to free some or all of the group without charge, release them on bail, or send them to trial.

Hopes of an early release for the 12, already held for more than five weeks, along with two Dutchmen, were severely damaged after the public prosecutor produced a 30-page dossier which, he said, showed that they should face a full trial on spying charges.

If that is confirmed by the judges, the group leader, 51-yearold Paul Coppin, his wife Lesley and the others face months more in jail with the threat of a sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.

Relatives of the 12 said after hearing of the delay that they were still confident that the group would be freed but that it seemed needless to "prolong the agony".

The issue raises problems for Tony Blair, who is meeting his Greek opposite number, Costas Simitis, at a Euro summit in Brussels on Friday.

Mr Blair has already voiced his concern to the Greek premier.

Both sides are worried that the case could have a damaging effect on relations between the two countries. British ministers have been making the case that the 12 were involved in a harmless hobby.

But there has been little sign of understanding from Greece, where plane spotting is unknown and details of military aircraft are regarded as sensitive information.

The affair has produced some heated newspaper headlines both in Athens and London. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spoke to his Greek counterpart Georges Papandreou in Brussels yesterday, but afterwards Mr Straw was downbeat about the prospects for the prisoners.

"Nothing would please me more than if they were released in the next few days," he said. "But I don't want to raise the hopes of people detained."

The effort to secure an early release for the Britons and two Dutch plane spotters travelling with the group, Touchdown Tours, has been hampered by suggestions that Mr Coppin, the group's leader, had earlier visited Turkey as guest of the military.

The reported link with Greece's long-standing enemy has handed valuable ammunition to the prosecutor.

There is particular concern for Mrs Coppin, who is being held in a high-security women's prison away from the rest of the group.

Mr Coppin, however, told his mother, Jean Butt, today that he hoped the judges would see sense and that they would all still be back for Christmas.

Mrs Butt said she had spoken to her son and that he was obviously "very anxious".

She told the BBC's Today programme: "His words to me were 'Let's hope, Mum, the three judges see sense and realise it was just a pure and simple plane spotting holiday and we all get back for Christmas'."