In a last minute development of the horror case of sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old girl in Athens, police arrested the victim’s mother on Wednesday afternoon. She is being accused of pandering. Earlier today, the two defendants in the pedophilia scandal that shakes Greece, a 53-year-old man and a 42-year-old, confessed they had sexual contacts with the 12-year-old girl but denied the rape charges.
The revelations about the pandering of the underage victim continue and are more than shocking.
The two men were arrested on Friday following a complaint by the victim’s mother and a police investigation that lasted over a month.
On Tuesday, a prosecutor ordered the publication of the men’s pictures, names and other data, in the hope that more potential victims recognize them and speak out.
Lawyers refuse to undertake their defense
The two defendants admitted that they had sexual contacts with the 12-year-old and made use of the right to remain silent given to them by the law by giving a formal testimony.
No member of the Athens Bar Association accepted to undertake their defense. Two lawyers appointed by the court have reportedly also refused. A third lawyer, who was notified by phone by the judicial officer and stated that he did not wish to undertake their defense, allegedly reacted negatively to his ex officio appointment. In the end he accepted to be present during their the defendants’ testimonies.
When they were later taken to prosecutor, he remanded them custody late on Wednesday afternoon.
Serious charges
The two defendants are facing serious charges, including rape, sexual intercourse with a minor below 15, human trafficking, violence and pornography against a minor.
The 53-year-old H.M. faces also charges on weapons possession. Using his right provided by the law to remain silent, he confessed only the sexual intercourse with the 12-year-old victim and remained silent to the other charges.
According to the media information, the 42-year-old defendant G.S. confessed that he had met with the 12-year-old more than once for a fee. He said that he paid the fee of 50 to 70 euros to the girl and not to the 53-year-old. According to media, the man is reportedly a father of three daughters with one of them being in the same age as the victim and one 17 years old. He had reportedly said he thought the girl/victim was 17 and not 12.
It should be noted that neither of them accepted the gruesome act of rape that is included in the indictment. They both claimed that the sexual intercourse was in consent with the victim.
In a statement, the lawyer of the victim’s family said that on Thursday that the child will give a supplementary statement and estimated that there are other children who were victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Tsunami of Revelations
More and more details of the heinous crime come into the spotlight, and one of them is that the wife of the 53-year-old allegedly offered 10,000 euros to the victim’s mother to keep silent and cover up the case. It was the child’s grandmother who made these allegations to media.
The wife, who is political active at municipality level, was dismissed from her position as counselor at the Athens Public Nursery and expelled from the municipality party by the Mayor of Athens, Costas Bakoyiannis, as soon as the mother’s revelations came out.
The victim’s uncle told ANT1 TV that the older defendant was threatening the child even with the use of a weapon and that he had threatened the whole family should they go public.
According to information by MEGA TV, the same defendant had internal information by police about the mother’s complaint to police and the investigation that would be conducted against him.
Defendant H.M. was keen to create a social profile and he would often take pictures with clergy and prominent politicians of the ruling party to which he was also a member at the branch of Kolonos, Western Athens. The man would post these pictures on his FB account. Among them is also a picture with the commander of a local police station, a station to which the defendant would donate cleaning items, as he was owner of a mini market.
Regarding the allegations about “internal information” by police, main opposition party SYRIZA posed a relevant question to the Minister of Citizen Protection, Takis Theodorikakos.
The horrible revelations do not end here, though.
The -as it turned out self-proclaimed president of Sex Workers of Greece proceeded with a USB stick to judicial investigating officer willing to testify against the 53-year-old. Speaking to reporters, the woman said that the defendant used to go to a “studio” she maintains in Gazi district together with the 12-year-old girl. The woman alleged that he would bring also other minors to the facility.
The woman added that she had footage and pictures of the defendant and the girl entering the studio.
The Sex Workers president said that she was afraid to speak about it to police because the defendant “had prominent customers, politicians and artists,” as she reportedly said. She added she decided to speak out after the man’s picture and name was published on Tuesday.
The Sex Workers Association reacted sharply saying that they do not allow minors to brothels.
Mother arrested
The mother was arrested from the family home in Kolonos and together with her, also 3 of her 8 children in total were taken, LiveNews at Mega TV reported short after 5 p.m..
It is not known yet why the children were taken to police.
With the father being unemployed, media reported that the family was living on child benefits and a 100-euro donation by the grandmother each month.
Police investigation
Police investigation continues and experts are taken out any file and message of the phones of the defendants and the victim under close screening.
Among others, police is also trying to identify the 213 people who had responded to H.M. announces on the dark web and chat app/websites, where he was offering the sex services of the 12-year-old victim, reportedly claiming she was 16 years old and orphan.
Note that the the time of the sexual exploitation and abuse from April to August 2022, the victim was not even 12 years old.
Media alleged that among the potential rapists of the child was also one couple.
Authorities and media seem to believe that the two defendants were part of a pedophilia trafficking ring.
Greeks on social media demand investigation to the bone, the arrest and the publishing of the names of the 213 potential abusers of a child. The society is convinced that they are not “first time sex offenders and children’s abusers.”
