Two Voliotes, 81 and 79 years old, who were accused of indecency against two underage girls, 10 and 16 years old respectively, in the summer of 2018, were found guilty yesterday by the Larisa Joint Court of Appeal (MOE).

To the 81-year-old, who was found guilty for persistent neglect of a minor and abuse of a minor in neglect, by a person who had entrusted it to him, only once, it was imposed in total 5 years imprisonment. At first instance, the Larisa Magistrate’s Court had sentenced the 81-year-old to 9 years in prison, however, the Magistrate’s Court yesterday changed the charge from abuse of a minor to negligence, from consecutive to only one.

The 81-year-old, who was a friend of the 10-year-old’s family at the time (15 years old today), was accused of showing her porn scenes from his mobile phone while they were bathing on a Volos beach with the minor, while also showing her his genitals. Also, on a day when the parents were away, he allegedly bathed with the minor in the bathtub. The 79-year-old, who was a neighbor of the family of the two minors, was accused of neglecting a minor – at the expense of the then 16-year-old, now 21-year-old – and abusing a person unable to resist a sexual act, taking advantage of his mental retardation. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison, while he was found not guilty of the charge of abusing a person incapable of resisting in a sexual act, as the mental deprivation of the 16-year-old had not been proven during the disputed period. In the first instance, the Larissa MOD had sentenced the 79-year-old to a total prison sentence of 8 years, as it had found him guilty of both the aforementioned charges. The court recognized both convicts the mitigating factors of the previous legal life, as well as the MOD in the first instance, as well as that of good behavior for a long time after the act. They were also given a three-year suspension, on the condition that they be monitored by a welfare officer every six months.

At first instance, the MOD had ordered the application of article 105, paragraph 1 of the new Criminal Code and had given them the right to serve their sentences at home (home sentence).

The two girls are sisters. The case allegedly came to justice when the 16-year-old then, with slight mental retardation, had spoken to the child psychologist at her school. It was then established that her 10-year-old sister had also been a victim of indecent acts, who was also examined by a child psychologist. The 79-year-old allegedly punched the 16-year-old in the chest when he approached her, under the pretense that he wanted to give her a fish bone for her cat. The 16-year-old reportedly confessed the traumatic experience she had to her 10-year-old sister, who in turn opened up about her own traumatic experiences. Only the mother of the girls and a teacher of the current adult patient testified at the trial, as well as defense witnesses for the two elderly people. Both the 81-year-old and the 79-year-old denied the accusations and claimed they were all lies. The defense attorneys of the two Volians, lawyers of Volos, etc. I. Vogiatzakis and N. Emmanuilidis and Larisas G. Kakarantzas pointed out in their purchases, the pile of contradictions to which the two minors fell in their statements, as well as their parents.