Aussie tennis player's father sentenced

BELGRADE, Serbia, June 11 (UPI) -- A court in northwest Serbia sentenced the father of Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic to 15 months in prison for making death threats.

The municipal court in Ruma, 45 miles northwest of Belgrade, Thursday passed the sentence on Damir Dokic for threats to kill Australian Ambassador to Serbia Clare Birgin.

The sentence also covered the offense of illegal possession of fire arms, ammunition and explosive devices, uncovered at Dokic's farm at Vrdnik, near Ruma, Belgrade's B92 Web site reported.

Lawyer Bosiljka Djukic said the defense will appeal the sentence. Dokic has denied all accusations against him.

His threatening statements followed Jelena's interview with an Australian magazine when she reportedly said her father had physically abused her before she fled the family in 2002.

The Dokics emigrated from Serbia to Australia in the 1990s, and Jelena, 26, began playing professional tennis in 1999.