NICK HALLISSEY reports from Greece about the day which shattered the plane spotter's hopes of release

YORK man Andy Jenkins had his plea for freedom from a Greek jail debated - then dashed - behind closed doors.

Journalists and family members were forced to stand outside as Andy, from Barkston Avenue, Acomb, and his 11 co-accused, all of whom claim to be aircraft enthusiasts and who stand accused of spying in Greece, were led one at a time into a room for individual meetings with a Greek judge.

The event at the sterile Kalamata courthouse must have seemed like a surreal nightmare for the detainees.

They each faced a barrage of questions before judge Socrates Gavalas, before being returned to captivity.

Greek law confers tremendous powers on the examining judge, who is essentially a member of the police force.

But the judge and the prosecutor could not agree that the evidence they heard on Tuesday was enough to deal with the group.

Now the case has gone to the local Council of Judges.

The decision that Andy and his co-accused will remain in custody was announced by lawyer Ioannis Nikiteas in Greek, and translated by a bilingual journalist.

First, it was reported that Andy would spend another eight days in jail. That was modified to eight to ten days, and then three weeks.

The two people most visibly shaken were Perdita and Susan Norris, the wife and sister of Andy's fellow accused, Peter Norris, and the only family members present.

Before the announcement they had expressed strong anticipation of a positive outcome.

But they withdrew in shock, finding the nearest seat, ashen faced.

The spotters had expressed their doubts from the start. While one or two were boisterous and openly confident, perhaps hiding their fears, others had made no secret of their mistrust of the system.

It is understood that Andy and the other 11 accused have now been returned to Nafplion prison, a three-hour drive from Kalamata, where he shares a cell with two Albanians. Each has a thin mattress on a concrete floor.

They are given two meals a day, mostly of boiled vegetables and veal.

They are allowed access to their clothes on a daily basis and can shower once a day.

The prison is fairly modern, but British consul Donald Holder says that, like all Greek jails, it is overcrowded.

However, the prisoners should be safe from crime, largely because of the Greek rule that any misdemeanour adds an automatic six months on to sentences.

The group shares a good rapport with the guards and fellow inmates and are treated as local celebrities. The guards laugh and joke with them, mainly talking about planes.

Inmates are allowed three visits a day to the prison shop to buy sweets, drinks and bottled water. They can also buy phone cards, although Andy said he was conserving money by making few calls home.

He said his infrequent calls did not mean he didn't care.

"I wish I was there, and no news is good news, " he said.

"It means I'm healthy. I want to be having a drink in Bar 38 or somewhere like that. That's my dream."

Updated: 11:32 Thursday, November 29, 2001