British teenager brain dead after balcony fall in Chalandri; clerk arrested for selling alcohol to minors

The incident

Authorities were called to a hotel in the northern Athens suburb of Chalandri in the early hours of Friday 3 July, after the teenager fell from the first-floor balcony. He was taken by ambulance to the Erythros Stavros hospital, where he remains intubated in intensive care with multiple craniocerebral injuries. Multiple reports now describe him as clinically or brain dead.

Alcohol purchase with a fake licence

The 17-year-old was holidaying with his parents and a friend. Hotel staff said the two boys had first tried to buy alcohol from a nearby kiosk but were refused because of their age. They then used a fake driving licence to purchase a bottle of vodka from a mini-market at around 3:15 a.m.

A mini-market owner described the transaction: the two teens arrived, showed an identity document that listed an age of 18 years and four months, and left with the bottle. The owner said the pair did not appear underage. A hotel employee told reporters that the boys were heavily intoxicated and the friend was asleep on the bed at the time of the fall, unable to say exactly what happened.

Police investigation and arrest

Forensic officers collected genetic material and fingerprints from the room. A 37-year-old kiosk employee was arrested on charges of fatal exposure and violation of laws on the sale of alcohol and tobacco. He was later released on the order of a prosecutor. The Chalandri police department is continuing to gather witness statements and security camera footage.

Condition and family

The victim’s parents are at the hospital in a state of shock. The family had arrived in Greece the previous day and were staying only one night. Hotel staff described the room as messy, with many bottles visible.