Petros Filippidis was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years, by the Athens Mixed Jury Court of Appeal, where his case was heard on second instance [1], [2]. Following his conviction, his lawyers announced they would appeal to one of Greece’s Supreme Courts (Areios Pagos) for a third trial, calling the appellate court’s decision “mistaken.”
The court imposed a single sentence (by merger) for both attempted rapes, one in the dressing room of the Mousouri Theater in 2010, and the other in his car in Psychiko in 2014, for which he had already been unanimously found guilty.
The judges did not adopt the recommendation of prosecutor Andreas Karaflos, who had requested Filippidis’ acquittal on both charges, citing, among other things, the lack of forensic medical reports from the complainants. The prosecutor had described Filippidis as a “laughable rapist,” adding: “Here in Greece, we’ve turned everything into rape! As a people, what do you think? Now if you brush against a naked body, boom, rape and 15 years in prison!”
The judges did not adopt the recommendation of prosecutor who had requested Filippidis’ acquittal on both charges.
The decision on the sentence was reached by a 4–3 majority. The majority proposed two years for each act, while one judge and two jurors dissented, advocating a sentence of four years for the first act and two years for the second.
The court also unanimously denied the defense’s requests for leniency on the grounds of lawful prior conduct and good behavior after the alleged offenses.
Filippidis had initially been sentenced to eight years in prison, with suspension pending the appeal trial, for the two attempted rapes. He had been acquitted of a separate rape allegation due to lack of sufficient evidence. He served 11 months in pre-trial detention, from late July 2021 to early July 2022, on all three charges.
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