A GREEK parasailing boss has been jailed after two Brit teens plunged 400ft to their deaths when a rope snapped during a storm.
Nikos Mallios, 57, was handed four years behind bars over the horror trip in Rhodes that killed Jessica Hayes, 15, and Mike Connelly, 13.
Nikos Mallios received a four-year sentence for the deaths of Jessica Hayes and Mike ConnellyCredit: Mirrorpix
The teenagers fell 400 feet into rocks after a rope snapped during gale-force winds
The pair were sent hurtling into rocks when the line fastening their parachute to the boat allegedly gave way in gale-force winds.
A court in Rhodes found Mallios guilty of health and safety breaches on Friday following the 2020 tragedy.
He was jailed but later released pending appeal.
The operator is set to face even more serious charges, including manslaughter, at a higher court later this year.
Jessica’s devastated dad Tony Hayes said the ruling was only the beginning.
He told The Mirror : “Its a positive step in the right direction.
“I am happy that a long sentence was given. However, the fight will continue and the next step is to take this to the higher court and make that sentence even longer.
“But it doesn’t take away the loss. It doesn’t change the fact that Jess is not here. It doesn’t change the fact that Mikey is not here. It doesn’t change the fact that our lives have been ruined.
“We still have some distance to go. Even though the outcome moves us forward, it still doesn’t take away the emptiness that remains from the loss.”
The doomed teens had been strapped into a triple-seat parasail alongside Mikey’s older brother James, then 15, who miraculously survived.
He spent two weeks in a coma after smashing into rocks, suffering broken legs and serious head and spine injuries.
The trio had taken off from Mallios’ Lindos Watersport Centre – popular with British tourists – after their families reportedly booked the activity through their hotel.
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