THE freedom hopes of arrested York air enthusiast Andy Jenkins have been crushed possibly until Christmas.

The Greek press is speculating its Government may try to save face by releasing Andy and his companions for the festive season.

His family were shocked to hear that the group of 12 British 'plane spotters' must wait in jail for up to three weeks while a new set of judges considers the case.

"We just can't believe it," said his sister Linda Hodgson.

"We were just stunned. We were expecting to be going to pick him up from the airport."

Andy's brother Stephen said: "Maybe the Government or someone else could get involved."

His sister Adele Yon, of Bishopthorpe, said: "It's awful, I want him out, I think he's suffered enough for something he hasn't done."

The case was sent to Kalamata's Council of Judges, which may take between eight days and three weeks to reach a conclusion.

Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh said of the development: "It's deeply alarming. I'm keeping up the pressure on the Foreign Secretary for him to make interventions."

Andy will return to Nafplion Jail, with the other ten men in the group.

From his cell he told the Evening Press: "To be honest, we were expecting this. At every stage they promise us something, and it never comes."

Greek journalist Costas Panaindraiou said: "You have to start thinking that they want to keep them until Christmas and then release them then as some kind of gesture .... and allow them to salvage something from the whole affair."

The group's lawyer, Ioannis Zacharias, said a bail appeal failed because none had permanent residence in Greece and because of the seriousness of the espionage charge.

He said: "I felt immensely bitter about what happened yesterday, after a day which seemed to be making so much good progress."

British Consul Donald Holder was "terribly disappointed", but could not believe the Greeks were cynical enough to drag the case out until Christmas.

He said: "We will now press very hard for the involvement of the Council of Judges to be as brief as possible."

A farcical tale also emerged concerning the Greek soap opera Silent Skies, which is filmed at Megara Airbase, where the group was arrested.

It regularly features the names and numbers of fighter aircraft there but a BBC correspondent asked to see the footage, to be told it was "confidential and a matter

of national security".

Updated: 10:13 Wednesday, November 28, 2001