Skiathos: four arrested after taxi incident

Four arrests were made in Skiathos in the early hours of Thursday, August 20, after an incident that started inside a taxi. According to reports by “TA NEA” and “Eleftheros Typos”, two British tourists, one of them a minor, got into the vehicle heading to their accommodation. During the ride, a verbal argument developed over opening the back door window, which escalated into a scuffle. The driver was injured in the head in the incident, while the minor sustained lighter injuries. Officers from the Skiathos Police Station arrived at the scene and restrained the two tourists. The driver was taken to the island’s Health Centre, where he received stitches to his head. The incident unfolded within a short time, and no involvement of other vehicles or passers-by was reported. The reports do not specify where along the route the vehicle stopped, nor who alerted the police.

The arrests concern four people and different charges for each. The two Britons were arrested for dangerous bodily harm, the taxi driver for causing bodily harm to a vulnerable person, and the father of one of the Britons for neglecting supervision of a minor. These are charges brought at the preliminary investigation stage and have not been judged by a court; none of the four has been convicted, and the presumption of innocence applies to all. The preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Skiathos Police Station, which is gathering statements, medical findings and any other available evidence and compiling a case file to be forwarded to the competent prosecutor’s office. The charge of neglecting supervision of a minor concerns the responsibility of the parent or guardian and is examined separately from the incident itself. Details that could identify the minor have not been made public. Dangerous bodily harm and causing bodily harm to a vulnerable person are distinct offences under the Criminal Code, with different elements that must be proven at trial.

In August, Skiathos hosts a population many times its permanent one, with visitors concentrated in a narrow zone around Chora and the organised beaches of the southern part. The island has a limited number of taxis, while the nighttime movement of visitors to their accommodation is compressed into a few hours after entertainment venues close. The result is long waits, pressure on drivers and frequent tension over order of priority or trip terms. Similar problems are recorded every summer on islands with intense tourist traffic and limited transport resources. Police numbers are boosted seasonally, but officers are called on to handle incidents ranging from traffic violations to scuffles, often involving people who are on the island for just a few days, which complicates completing procedures.

It has not been announced when those arrested will be brought before the prosecutor, nor whether the in-flagrante procedure will be followed for all the charges. It has also not been disclosed how the driver’s health has progressed since his injuries were treated, nor whether the British consulate has been informed, a procedure provided for in cases involving foreign nationals as defendants. Should criminal proceedings be pursued, the case will be tried by the competent courts of Magnesia, while cases involving minors follow a separate procedure with special safeguards. The Skiathos Police Station had also recently made four arrests for alcohol consumption by a minor, in a season in which tourism arrivals and revenue trended upward.