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6 mm of height deprived a candidate for the Greek Police School of the opportunity to be admitted, but thanks to justice he had a second chance.

In one of their unusual decisions, the Greek senior judges ruled out the cancellation of the refusal issued to the applicant to participate in entrance exams due to being of height lower than required.

In addition, judges ruled out that the height of the applicant be re-measured in order to be determined whether the requirement is met of height equal or greater than 1.70 m, as specified by law for those wishing to become members of the Greek Police.

In the last few months, the young man has been measured dozens of times in state institutions, and the results varied between 1.694 and 1.73 m. Unfortunately, the lowest result was measured on the day set for meeting sports requirements, i.e. on 3rd July 2009. Only a month earlier, with the intention to sit for the exams at the police academy, the young man was measured in a police station in his hometown of Serres where the ruler showed exactly 1.70 m.

The organisers of the exams did not allow the young man to participate in the exams for physical fitness despite his excellent results in psychological and health-related tests. All this was due to the fact that the young man’s height was measured at 1.694 meters in several consecutive measurements made between 7:56 to 9:20 on the morning of 3^rd July.

A few days later, during the measuring at the Officer Cadet School, his height was measured at 1.73 meters, and on 20 October the same year, a measurement in the hospital of Serres showed a height of 1.71 meters.

After the candidate was failed at the exams, he filed a lawsuit, where he indicated that he had been failed in violation of the law, as his height was within the range set. In support of his claim, he submitted to the Administrative Court of Appeal not only the different measurement results, but his passport too, where his height was marked as 1.70 m.

The initial decision of the court was in favour of the claimant on the grounds that he had been failed in violation of the principles of proper management, combined with defence of justified confidence of the person pursued in state authorities. According to the court, the difference in the measurements carried out the very same day, which showed a difference of 6 mm "was obviously due to the fact that human growth undergoes a transient decrease during the day, a fact confirmed by measurement during the preliminary exams at the Officer Cadet School ".

The Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection, however,  challenged the decision before the Supreme Administrative Court, which adopted the opinion that the Administrative Court of Appeal had no right to determine whether or not the applicant was of the appropriate height and approved the request of the Minister.

However, the supreme magistrates found discrepancies in the measurements and ruled out that they caused reasonable doubt and therefore cancelled the ban on the participation of the candidate in the examination for the Police Academy. In addition, they ruled out that the candidate be measured again on the basis of scientific data. This is expected to happen very soon so that a decision can be made as to whether the youth shall be admitted to the school or not.