The 37-year-old defendant is now closer to punishment for the crime she has confessed to, Efi Kakaranjoula, for the vitriol attack. At the same time, the victim of this case, which shocked thousands of people, is closer to the justice he seeks. .
The time for the announcement of the verdict of the seven members of the Mixed Jury Court in the case of the attack that Ioanna Paliospyrou was attacked in May 2020 by 37-year-old Efi, starts counting down from this morning.
The proceedings on today's seventh day of the trial are expected to begin with the conclusion of the speeches of the defence lawyers of Kakarandzoula, who will attempt to change the atmosphere left by the prosecution's proposal for the accused. The defense will seek, in this “final battle”, to persuade judges and juries to treat the perpetrator of the attack with a more favorable criminal characterization of her act.
It is very likely that today, after noon, the court will give its answer, its verdict on the case, when both the defendant and the victim will hear the announcement of the judgment of the seven members of the Mixed Court of Justice.
The trial for the case began on 15 September, with Joanna appearing in court with a special mask, hat, glasses and gloves, causing a wave of emotion, sympathy and solidarity for what she still suffers today from the caustic liquid that the 37-year-old woman threw at her. In the courtroom, the witness stand on the first day of the trial remained empty as the accused did not want to be taken to court.
Effie appeared at subsequent meetings and several times her presence caused a charge on the victim's side. .
A month after the trial began, the defendant apologized for her actions, saying that everything that happened was an “assumption”, a thought “that stuck in her mind” about Joanna and the 40-year-old man she was interested in. The accused stated that her motive in her act was actually her jealousy, her “obsession” because she believed that this man had a relationship with Ioanna.
The Prosecutor, asking for her guilt for attempted manslaughter, referred to “homicidal selfishness” and urged the judges to reject her claim that the charge should be changed to grievous bodily harm: “He certainly considered the death of the sufferer to be probable and approved of it.”.
The court, probably today, will decide whether to accept the prosecutor's proposal, whether to declare Kakarantzoula guilty as charged or whether to commute the charge, imposing in any case the appropriate sentence.
The accused, as the case is introduced, is facing a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. However, if the charge of attempted homicide is converted to grievous bodily harm, then the maximum sentence is reduced to ten years.
In any case, perhaps the phrase of one of Joanna's lawyers reflects a truth that both the accused and the victim know well: “When Effie gets out of jail in five or six years, Joanna will still not be finished with the interventions needed to have a normalcy.”.
