While James Dalamagkas‘ defense testimony was taking place in the Aigio courts, information about how he fled Australia in 1999, following charges for the murder of Greek-Australian George Yannopoulos in Sydney, reveals a dramatic dimension. Dalamagkas allegedly, based on statements from a purported friend on “Live News,” escaped Australia dressed as a priest bound for Tasmania. The now 55-year-old, who was arrested in Aigio and is expected to be extradited to Australia if authorities submit a request, is reportedly involved in four crimes. None more infamous than the murder of Yannopoulos, a father of three, an act that was cloaked in revenge by the middle-aged man himself, who spoke of delivering justice for the murder of his brother Peter (Panagiotis) at a casino the previous year. But how did he become Antonis Tzimas and relocate to Aigio?
James Dalamagkas: “Lord Howe Island as stepping stone”
James Dalamagkas, according to the “Daily Telegraph,” fled Australia with a fake passport via Lord Howe Island. Specifically, it was reported: “In 1999, a plan was devised to smuggle him abroad through Lord Howe Island. Police intelligence suggests Dalamagkas already had a fake passport and would use the island as a stepping stone to board a ship abroad.” The report states that authorities believed he was being sheltered in a friendly house. However, as a purported friend told MEGA, he dressed as a “priest in order to escape.”
The 28-year-old Dalamagkas allegedly deceived authorities. He traveled to the Yamba area of New South Wales and from there took a small boat that carries food and few passengers to Lord Howe Island. Australian authorities have no information about the route he followed and estimate he reached Greece via Africa.
“Justice for Peter Dalamagkas”
James Dalamagkas requests not to be extradited, as he is a Greek citizen. If this happens, he will remain free, since after 25 years crimes are statute-barred, something that doesn’t apply in Australia. However, entering the Aigio Misdemeanor Court on Thursday afternoon, June 11, James Dalamagkas shouted “justice for Peter Dalamagkas,” referring to his murdered brother. It’s worth noting that the trial was postponed to Thursday, June 11 due to a lawyers’ strike on the 10th of the same month.
Meanwhile, according to “Live News” information, a new element emerged regarding the Dalamagkas family concerning Peter and the Sydney casino where he was murdered. The parents and Peter’s then-partner, during the murder trial, had requested compensation exceeding 750,000 euros for psychological suffering. Thus, in October 2006, the trial was left unfinished not without justice being served, but because the family and casino “reached an agreement” through an out-of-court settlement for a monetary sum. Alongside the 56-year-old James Dalamagkas in the dock sits his 46-year-old educator partner and his 86-year-old father, with whom he had been living in Aigio during all the years he was hiding.
