A 39-year-old rowing coach who was accused of sexual acts at the expense of his underage athlete was released with restrictive conditions, after his apology to the 4th ordinary investigator of Thessaloniki.

He was charged with, among other things, criminal prosecution for sexual abuse of a minor (by a gymnast) and rape (perpetrated and attempted), acts which the 39-year-old denied.

In his apology, he himself allegedly spoke of a misunderstanding and a false complaint.

Prosecutor and investigator unanimously decided to release him under the conditions of the ban on leaving the country, the appearance at a police station, the ban on communication with the complainant and the payment of a cash guarantee of 5,000 euros.

The case had seen him last November the public light, following a lawsuit filed by the parents of the minor at the Thessaloniki First Instance Prosecutor’s Office, describing actions that took place between December 2021 and June 2022, when their daughter was 15 and 16 years old.

Following the lawsuit – and after the accused coach was removed from the club where he worked – a preliminary investigation was ordered and its findings evaluated by a prosecutor who ordered criminal prosecution for two felonies and three misdemeanors.