Witness “didn’t see attack on Frenchman”

Witness in the case of murdered Frenchman Brice Taton, Aleksandar Jakovljevic, said that he did not see the attack, because he himself was assaulted. Jakovljevic said that he was sitting with several Frenchmen in a café in Belgrade, where he worked as a waiter, when the first flare fell on the café. Witness “didn’t see attack on Frenchman” “We were sitting in the second part of the yard outside the café, at about five tables. I was in the middle. Everyone jumped up when the flare fell between us,” Jakovljevic said. He said that he was only thinking about getting away and to safety. “I jumped over the table and fell on the street. I got up and started to run to the nearest café. In front of the entrance of the Okno Café, one person hit me in the back of the head with a wooden bat,” Jakovljevic said. Asked whether he saw who hit him, he said that it was a matter of seconds and that he was looking to get to safety, adding that he went into the café, where the people inside helped him, and that he stayed there for the rest of the attack. He said that he did not see the attack on the Frenchmen, whom he said he socialized with as they were “regulars” at the place where he worked, but said that he saw some of them later in the emergency room. The witness changed his statement several times compared to that given during the investigation, concerning the direction where the flare came from, and the persons that he then said he saw and identified as the attackers. Jakovljevic stated during the investigation that about five or six men with bats approached the café where he was sitting with the French football fans, and that the torch came from their direction, which he was not able to confirm in court on Tuesday. “I can say that a group approached us, but I cannot say how many of them there were,” he said, adding that they had weapons in their hands and some of them were waiting and getting ready to hit someone. The witness said that he gave his first statement in fear, and that the police security asked for journalists not to hound him, adding that he has been able to hide from them successfully for nine months. There are 14 people on trial for the murder of Taton. The 28 year-old Frenchman was brutally assaulted on September 17, 2009 in Belgrade with baseball bats, metal bars and torches before the Partizan – Toulouse football match. Taton died 12 days alter in a Belgrade hospital. Witnesses are expected to give their testimony against the suspects on Monday. Two of the suspects in the murder remain fugitives and are being tried in absentia, Djordje Prelic and Dejan Puzigaca. The remaining indictees are Stepa Petrovic, Stefan Velickovic, Milan Tarlac, Dragan Tomasovic, Jovan Karbic, Bojan Matijevic, Milan Vujovic, Ivan Grkovic, Vladan Suvajac, Ljubomir Markovic, Branimir Cetnik and Dejan Stankovic, who are present in court. Vladimir Boskovic is accused of aiding and abetting in the crime and is being held in custody during the trial.

Witness “didn’t see attack on Frenchman”

“We were sitting in the second part of the yard outside the café, at about five tables. I was in the middle. Everyone jumped up when the flare fell between us,” Jakovljević said.

He said that he was only thinking about getting away and to safety.

“I jumped over the table and fell on the street. I got up and started to run to the nearest café. In front of the entrance of the Okno Café, one person hit me in the back of the head with a wooden bat,” Jakovljević said.

Asked whether he saw who hit him, he said that it was a matter of seconds and that he was looking to get to safety, adding that he went into the café, where the people inside helped him, and that he stayed there for the rest of the attack.

He said that he did not see the attack on the Frenchmen, whom he said he socialized with as they were “regulars” at the place where he worked, but said that he saw some of them later in the emergency room.

The witness changed his statement several times compared to that given during the investigation, concerning the direction where the flare came from, and the persons that he then said he saw and identified as the attackers.

Jakovljević stated during the investigation that about five or six men with bats approached the café where he was sitting with the French football fans, and that the torch came from their direction, which he was not able to confirm in court on Tuesday.

“I can say that a group approached us, but I cannot say how many of them there were,” he said, adding that they had weapons in their hands and some of them were waiting and getting ready to hit someone.

The witness said that he gave his first statement in fear, and that the police security asked for journalists not to hound him, adding that he has been able to hide from them successfully for nine months.

There are 14 people on trial for the murder of Taton.

The 28 year-old Frenchman was brutally assaulted on September 17, 2009 in Belgrade with baseball bats, metal bars and torches before the Partizan – Toulouse football match.

Taton died 12 days alter in a Belgrade hospital.

Witnesses are expected to give their testimony against the suspects on Monday.

Two of the suspects in the murder remain fugitives and are being tried in absentia, Đorđe Prelić and Dejan Puzigaća.

The remaining indictees are Stepa Petrović, Stefan Veličković, Milan Tarlać, Dragan Tomasović, Jovan Karbić, Bojan Matijević, Milan Vujović, Ivan Grković, Vladan Suvajac, Ljubomir Marković, Branimir Četnik and Dejan Stanković, who are present in court.

Vladimir Bošković is accused of aiding and abetting in the crime and is being held in custody during the trial.