THREE bouncers convicted of beating a former Silver End man to death outside a German techno club have had their sentences slashed by a judge.
Lee Heath, 31, was repeatedly kicked and punched by the group outside the now closed U60311 venue in Frankfurt and died in hospital on Easter Monday 2011, two days after his lifeless body was thrown into the street.
Three bouncers were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 24 years in jail between them in September 2012.
But in November last year, the German Supreme Court overturned their conviction after accepting an appeal by their lawyers that they did not intend to kill the 31-year-old.
A 27-day trial saw the trio's defending lawyers try to get the charges brought down to actual bodily harm, but eventually the judge reduced the charge to greivious bodily harm resulting in death.
Anthanassios Givalos, 38, was originally sentenced to ten-and-a-half years in prison for manslaughter, but this was reduced to seven years and nine months on Tuesday.
Face-tattooed Turkish gang member Omer H, 32, who received nine years in 2012, saw his term reduced to six years on appeal.
Singh S, a juvenile at the time, was originally jailed for five years, had his sentence cut by three quarters and re-sentenced on Monday to four weeks for a lesser charge of aiding and abetting grievous bodily harm as he stopped clubbers from going to Lee's aid during the attack.
As he had already served nearly two years in prison he was released halfway through the trial period and sat in the court for the remaining sessions.
"It was quite daunting having him sitting there watching, but I had to stay strong for Lee," said Lee's mother Marie of Silver End.
Russian Aleksander B was given a three-year probationary sentence and was not granted an appeal.
"It's all about them and not about the victims and the person who died, there was four on one, they must have known they could have killed him," added the 54-year-old, who has endured years of expensive flights and hotel stays to follow the case.
Despite the defence's pleas the court ruled that Anthanassios Givalos delivered the fatal kicks to Lee's liver that killed him and so should not be freed.
The Frankfurt District Court also heard Givalos had grappled with a group near the bar and received a punch to the back of the head. As he turned, he believed the blow came from Mr Heath and the three bouncers then turned on the British delivery driver, who was living in Frankfurt at the time with his German girlfriend.
During the original trial Marie travelled to Germany 116 times during her 18-month fight for justice.
And she even had to interrupt the recent hearing as lawyers and judges joked with each other during open court proceedings.
"It all seemed like an old boys' club – the judge and lawyers all knew each other and were joking about and laughing, I had to keep banging on the table to remind them it was a serious trial. The judge to his credit agreed with me," said the former Essex County Council bus driver.
But Marie's fight is not over, the trio could appeal Tuesday's ruling again, this time with the German Supreme Court.
