Life sentence for Norwegian for policeman’s murder

A 45-year-old Norwegian man has been handed a mandatory life sentence after being found guilty by Kilkis Mixed Jury Court for the murder of a 32-year-old off-duty police officer in central Thessaloniki in December 2023.

The defendant had been charged with willful murder while in a calm state of mind by stabbing Theoharis Kalathas during an altercation at a bar in the northern port city.

The defendant received an additional 19-year sentence for related offences, with the court accepting there were no mitigating circumstances in the case.

According to reports, the defendant expressed remorse and apologized to the victim's parents, relatives, friends and colleagues.

The incident began when the 45-year-old got into an argument with one of the people in Kalathas' group - his best man. The argument escalated into a fight, during which the Norwegian man pulled...