Fourteen planespotters sentenced by Greek authorities to jail terms of up to three years for spying began their appeal today.
The British and Dutch planespotters pleaded not guilty during their trial and claimed they were cataloguing plane numbers as part of their planespotting hobby. However, they failed to convince the court and were sentenced for obtaining state secrets.
The 14 were arrested last year for allegedly photographing a military base outside the seaside town of Kalamata, 150 miles southwest of Athens.
The charges were cut to obtaining national secrets - a misdemeanour - after British and Dutch pressure, and the spotters returned home on bail after 37 days in jail and their conviction in April.
All of them bar one Briton returned to Greece for today's hearing and some said as they entered court in Kalamata they hoped a decision could be reached the same day.
"Hopefully we will have an outcome by tonight," said one of the two Dutch planespotters, Mr Frank Mink. "We have waited a long time for this day".
The spotters have said the ill-fated trip planned by British Touchdown Tours was organised to attend an air display in Kalamata for which they had received an official invitation.
The unusual case sparked anger in The Netherlands and Britain and baffled Greeks, who barely know the hobby of planespotting - touring airports and bases to glimpse certain aircraft.
Greece, surrounded by former communist countries and its traditional foe Turkey, has strictly punished violations of its photography ban of all military installations.
PA