Supreme Court calls for investigation into release of child molester turned murderer

Supreme Court President Ioanna Klapa on Tuesday ordered a disciplinary investigation into the decision to release from prison a 37-year-old man who was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl in 2017 and now faces murder charges after confessing to killing another 11-year-old girl he also attempted to rape.

The 37-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2020 by a court on the Ionian island of Zakynthos for the rape of a local girl. According to his own confession, the girl is related to the family of the 11-year-old he killed on Sunday in his hometown of Ilia in the western Peloponnese.

He appealed against the verdict and was released from custody pending a decision on his application – on the sole condition that he report regularly to the local police station and keep his distance from his victim.

The order for his release was signed by three judges, but apparently did not contain the necessary justification. It should be noted that all three judges who are now under investigation are women, as is the prosecutor.

The suspect’s appeal trial was postponed in 2022 because he did not have a lawyer to represent him. It was later postponed again to 2025 due to a lawyers’ strike and other delays.