Cop admits beating mother, 73:
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Peabody Cop will be allowed to visit mother he assaulted
Cop will be allowed to visit mother he assaulted
By Julie Manganis
SALEM - A Peabody cop charged with beating his mother into a coma last Thanksgiving will be allowed to visit the elderly woman in the nursing home where she now lives, a Salem Superior Court judge said yesterday.
But Judge David Lowy said he was concerned more about the woman's wishes than those of George Sideris.
"I'm not doing it for him, I can assure you of that," Lowy said.
As a result of the change in bail conditions, Sideris can have supervised visits with 73-year-old Melpomeni Sideris at a Lynn nursing home if accompanied by a police officer.
Sideris, 33, is facing charges of assault and battery on a person over 60, stemming from the beating. Sideris was deemed a danger to the community during a hearing last December. Though deemed a danger, he was released on a series of strict conditions, including that he not see his mother.
Sideris' lawyer, Edward O'Reilly, said Mrs. Sideris, who has emerged from the coma, has repeatedly been asking why her son had not visited. The assertion was backed by Theodora Gikas, a longtime friend of the elderly woman, who said she has been asked again and again, "When come my Georgie?"
And O'Reilly pointed to an evaluation by a court psychologist who believes Sideris no longer poses a danger to his mother.
Prosecutor Karen Hopwood objected to the request, saying the woman's legal guardian had not been given an opportunity to determine whether visits would be in the woman's best interest and said the nursing home staff is also concerned.
But Lowy said he could not factor those things into his decision. He could only consider whether the woman could be kept safe, which he felt was possible with the presence of a police officer.
"My current concern," Lowy said, "is whether this could be done in a way that protects her safety and the safety of the community.
"A woman wants to see her son," he said. "It seems cruel not to let her see him."
Lowy said he does not believe Sideris is going to harm his mother in the presence of a witness.
Hopwood also argued that there was no basis for the judge to reconsider the bail conditions, arguing that little has changed since Sideris was first charged. But Lowy said that the mother's request, as well as the evaluation, were new developments that warranted consideration.
Sideris admitted to police after the Thanksgiving Day incident that he had been hitting his mother for months, and that the assaults had escalated until the day he punched and slapped her in the head and punched her back. He told police she lay down and then became unconscious.
During subsequent court hearings, Sideris' lawyer said his client had been under stress from being harassed by fellow Peabody police officers.
O'Reilly, however, said that a number of colleagues from the department have offered several times to let him know if they can help Sideris, suggesting that they would volunteer to accompany him to the nursing home.
Sideris remains suspended without pay from the Police Department while the charges are pending.
Cop will be allowed to visit mother he assaulted
By Julie Manganis
SALEM - A Peabody cop charged with beating his mother into a coma last Thanksgiving will be allowed to visit the elderly woman in the nursing home where she now lives, a Salem Superior Court judge said yesterday.
But Judge David Lowy said he was concerned more about the woman's wishes than those of George Sideris.
"I'm not doing it for him, I can assure you of that," Lowy said.
As a result of the change in bail conditions, Sideris can have supervised visits with 73-year-old Melpomeni Sideris at a Lynn nursing home if accompanied by a police officer.
Sideris, 33, is facing charges of assault and battery on a person over 60, stemming from the beating. Sideris was deemed a danger to the community during a hearing last December. Though deemed a danger, he was released on a series of strict conditions, including that he not see his mother.
Sideris' lawyer, Edward O'Reilly, said Mrs. Sideris, who has emerged from the coma, has repeatedly been asking why her son had not visited. The assertion was backed by Theodora Gikas, a longtime friend of the elderly woman, who said she has been asked again and again, "When come my Georgie?"
And O'Reilly pointed to an evaluation by a court psychologist who believes Sideris no longer poses a danger to his mother.
Prosecutor Karen Hopwood objected to the request, saying the woman's legal guardian had not been given an opportunity to determine whether visits would be in the woman's best interest and said the nursing home staff is also concerned.
But Lowy said he could not factor those things into his decision. He could only consider whether the woman could be kept safe, which he felt was possible with the presence of a police officer.
"My current concern," Lowy said, "is whether this could be done in a way that protects her safety and the safety of the community.
"A woman wants to see her son," he said. "It seems cruel not to let her see him."
Lowy said he does not believe Sideris is going to harm his mother in the presence of a witness.
Hopwood also argued that there was no basis for the judge to reconsider the bail conditions, arguing that little has changed since Sideris was first charged. But Lowy said that the mother's request, as well as the evaluation, were new developments that warranted consideration.
Sideris admitted to police after the Thanksgiving Day incident that he had been hitting his mother for months, and that the assaults had escalated until the day he punched and slapped her in the head and punched her back. He told police she lay down and then became unconscious.
During subsequent court hearings, Sideris' lawyer said his client had been under stress from being harassed by fellow Peabody police officers.
O'Reilly, however, said that a number of colleagues from the department have offered several times to let him know if they can help Sideris, suggesting that they would volunteer to accompany him to the nursing home.
Sideris remains suspended without pay from the Police Department while the charges are pending.
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Sideris demands trial, against lawyer's advice
Published: 10/19/2007
Sideris demands trial, against lawyer's advice
By Julie Manganis
Staff writer
PEABODY - A visibly distraught George Sideris pleaded yesterday with a Salem Superior Court judge to schedule his trial on charges that he beat his elderly mother unconscious nearly three years ago, despite a finding by psychiatrists that he is not competent to stand trial.
"They took my name, they took my freedom, they took my mother, they've taken everything from me," Sideris, a suspended Peabody police officer, told Judge Howard Whitehead during a status hearing in his case yesterday. "They're not going to take my self-respect. I'm not taking a plea."
Sideris, who appeared to be choking back tears, told the judge that he intends to sue the doctors who determined last summer that he is not competent to stand trial.
And he asked Whitehead to appoint a lawyer to replace his current attorney, Steven Rappaport, who also believes Sideris is incompetent at this point.
Rappaport said he's in the odd position of having a client who is on the same side of an argument as the prosecutor in the case. The prosecutor, Karen Hopwood, is in the process of having her own expert examine Sideris to determine whether he is competent.
Sideris, 35, is charged with attacking his elderly mother, Melpomeni Sideris, on Thanksgiving Day 2004. Shortly after the incident, he confessed to his priest and then to police.
As the case has been pending, with a series of delays due to Sideris' repeated changes of attorneys, he has come to believe he is innocent and that he never confessed. He has said he intends to prove at trial that the priest and the police lied about his confessions.
It was comments like that that led Rappaport to seek an evaluation of Sideris on the day his trial was set to begin last June in Lawrence Superior Court. A court psychologist said Sideris appeared to be detached from reality and recommended that he be sent to Bridgewater State Hospital. Doctors there concluded that Sideris was not competent to stand trial, and a judge agreed.
Now the case is in limbo, as Hopwood awaits the results of an evaluation by Dr. Malcolm Rogers.
It will be up to a judge to review the evaluations and then determine whether Sideris is competent. At that point, if he is found competent, his trial will be scheduled. If not, the case will remain open but on hold until he is determined to be competent.
He remains free, because he has not been deemed a danger to himself or others.
His mother, who spent several weeks in a coma, eventually regained consciousness but never returned to the home they once shared. She is now 76 and lives in a Lynn nursing home. Sideris is allowed supervised visits.
Rappaport said he is trying to act in Sideris' best interest but now believes his client can no longer appreciate what would be in his best interest. He suggested a legal guardian be appointed for Sideris.
Whitehead tried to explain to Sideris that any attorney would be in the same position as Rappaport.
"This is not Mr. Rappaport's doing," the judge said. "Some people feel that you are actually incompetent."
A further status hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 26.
Published: 10/19/2007
Sideris demands trial, against lawyer's advice
By Julie Manganis
Staff writer
PEABODY - A visibly distraught George Sideris pleaded yesterday with a Salem Superior Court judge to schedule his trial on charges that he beat his elderly mother unconscious nearly three years ago, despite a finding by psychiatrists that he is not competent to stand trial.
"They took my name, they took my freedom, they took my mother, they've taken everything from me," Sideris, a suspended Peabody police officer, told Judge Howard Whitehead during a status hearing in his case yesterday. "They're not going to take my self-respect. I'm not taking a plea."
Sideris, who appeared to be choking back tears, told the judge that he intends to sue the doctors who determined last summer that he is not competent to stand trial.
And he asked Whitehead to appoint a lawyer to replace his current attorney, Steven Rappaport, who also believes Sideris is incompetent at this point.
Rappaport said he's in the odd position of having a client who is on the same side of an argument as the prosecutor in the case. The prosecutor, Karen Hopwood, is in the process of having her own expert examine Sideris to determine whether he is competent.
Sideris, 35, is charged with attacking his elderly mother, Melpomeni Sideris, on Thanksgiving Day 2004. Shortly after the incident, he confessed to his priest and then to police.
As the case has been pending, with a series of delays due to Sideris' repeated changes of attorneys, he has come to believe he is innocent and that he never confessed. He has said he intends to prove at trial that the priest and the police lied about his confessions.
It was comments like that that led Rappaport to seek an evaluation of Sideris on the day his trial was set to begin last June in Lawrence Superior Court. A court psychologist said Sideris appeared to be detached from reality and recommended that he be sent to Bridgewater State Hospital. Doctors there concluded that Sideris was not competent to stand trial, and a judge agreed.
Now the case is in limbo, as Hopwood awaits the results of an evaluation by Dr. Malcolm Rogers.
It will be up to a judge to review the evaluations and then determine whether Sideris is competent. At that point, if he is found competent, his trial will be scheduled. If not, the case will remain open but on hold until he is determined to be competent.
He remains free, because he has not been deemed a danger to himself or others.
His mother, who spent several weeks in a coma, eventually regained consciousness but never returned to the home they once shared. She is now 76 and lives in a Lynn nursing home. Sideris is allowed supervised visits.
Rappaport said he is trying to act in Sideris' best interest but now believes his client can no longer appreciate what would be in his best interest. He suggested a legal guardian be appointed for Sideris.
Whitehead tried to explain to Sideris that any attorney would be in the same position as Rappaport.
"This is not Mr. Rappaport's doing," the judge said. "Some people feel that you are actually incompetent."
A further status hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 26.
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Officer facing charges wants out of psych facility
PEABODY - A Peabody police officer charged with beating his mother into a coma wants to be released from a state psychiatric facility.
A judge earlier this month sent 37-year-old George Sideris to Bridgewater State Hospital to undergo further evaluation and treatment for six months, following an apparent suicide attempt in April.
Sideris, who disputes a judge's ruling last year that he is not competent to stand trial, filed a petition in Salem Superior Court asking for his release from the facility.
No hearing has been scheduled on the request.
Sideris was charged after the Thanksgiving Day 2004 beating of his mother, Melpomeni Sideris, who was 73 at the time of the alleged assault. She survived.
Sideris has been suspended without pay from the police department.
http://bostonherald.com/news/region...r_facing_charges_wants_out_of_psych_facility/
PEABODY - A Peabody police officer charged with beating his mother into a coma wants to be released from a state psychiatric facility.
A judge earlier this month sent 37-year-old George Sideris to Bridgewater State Hospital to undergo further evaluation and treatment for six months, following an apparent suicide attempt in April.
Sideris, who disputes a judge's ruling last year that he is not competent to stand trial, filed a petition in Salem Superior Court asking for his release from the facility.
No hearing has been scheduled on the request.
Sideris was charged after the Thanksgiving Day 2004 beating of his mother, Melpomeni Sideris, who was 73 at the time of the alleged assault. She survived.
Sideris has been suspended without pay from the police department.
http://bostonherald.com/news/region...r_facing_charges_wants_out_of_psych_facility/
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Ex-Mass. cop can't stand trial for beating mom
SALEM, Mass. -- A judge has ruled that a former Peabody police officer charged with beating his elderly mother into a coma on Thanksgiving Day 2004 is not competent to stand trial.
The Salem News reported that Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy made his ruling Monday after considering the findings of two psychiatrists who examined George Sideris.
Sideris was then sent back to Bridgewater State Hospital for further evaluation. He is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 5.
Sideris faces multiple assault and battery charges for the alleged attack on his mother, Melpomeni Sideris, who was 73 at the time. Sideris can't be tried on the charges until he regains competency.
Sideris has been held at the Bridgewater hospital on-and-off for more than a year.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO94761/
SALEM, Mass. -- A judge has ruled that a former Peabody police officer charged with beating his elderly mother into a coma on Thanksgiving Day 2004 is not competent to stand trial.
The Salem News reported that Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy made his ruling Monday after considering the findings of two psychiatrists who examined George Sideris.
Sideris was then sent back to Bridgewater State Hospital for further evaluation. He is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 5.
Sideris faces multiple assault and battery charges for the alleged attack on his mother, Melpomeni Sideris, who was 73 at the time. Sideris can't be tried on the charges until he regains competency.
Sideris has been held at the Bridgewater hospital on-and-off for more than a year.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO94761/
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Ex-Peabody officer charged in beating mom not competent
PEABODY, Mass. -- Doctors say a former Peabody police officer charged with beating his elderly mother unconscious is still not mentally competent to stand trial, but no longer needs the strict security of a state prison hospital.
The Salem News reports that based on that assessment, a Salem Superior Court judge on Tuesday approved a request to transfer George Sideris from Bridgewater State Hospital to Taunton State Hospital for at least six months.
The 38-year-old Sideris faces multiple assault charges in connection with the Thanksgiving Day 2004 beating of his now 78-year-old mother. Melpomeni Sideris spent several weeks in a coma.
George Sideris can't be tried until he regains competency.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO101386/
PEABODY, Mass. -- Doctors say a former Peabody police officer charged with beating his elderly mother unconscious is still not mentally competent to stand trial, but no longer needs the strict security of a state prison hospital.
The Salem News reports that based on that assessment, a Salem Superior Court judge on Tuesday approved a request to transfer George Sideris from Bridgewater State Hospital to Taunton State Hospital for at least six months.
The 38-year-old Sideris faces multiple assault charges in connection with the Thanksgiving Day 2004 beating of his now 78-year-old mother. Melpomeni Sideris spent several weeks in a coma.
George Sideris can't be tried until he regains competency.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO101386/
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Even if he is I'm happy as long as the P.O.S. is locked up somewhere!!! Beat your 73 yo mother WTF?!
41 - 53 of 53 Posts
