Dimitris Lignadis retried for rape of 3 underage boys
The Athens appeals court accepted the prosecution's appeal to retry former National Theatre director Dimitris Lignadis for the rape of a 15-year-old for which he was acquitted.
It should be noted that at first instance, the Mixed Jury Court had imposed a 12-year prison sentence on Lignadis for the rapes of two 17-year-old boys in 2015, one in Athens and one in Epidaurus. By contrast, the court had ruled by majority that the defendant was not guilty of the rape of a 15-year-old. The Appeals Prosecutor filed an appeal both against the acquittal and regarding the severity of the sentence.
At the previous hearing, Lignadis’s defense had filed an objection, requesting that the prosecution’s appeal be declared inadmissible. The lawyers argued that the text of the appeal does not identify specific legal deficiencies in the first-instance decision, does not develop a legal counter-argument, and is based on evidence that had not been brought to the defendant’s attention.
The presiding prosecutor initially appeared to partially accept the defense’s objections. She proposed that the appeal be declared inadmissible regarding the acquittal portion, but that the request for a higher sentence be accepted. However, the court decided differently and accepted the prosecution’s appeal in its entirety.
Trial Postponement
The proceedings were adjourned until tomorrow, so that the court can rule on a request by the defense. Lignadis’s lawyers requested the appointment of a special advisor, a psychologist or psychiatrist as an expert witness. The aim is to assess the perceptive capacity and mental state of the complainants.
This development reopens the entire case at the Court of Appeals, with Dimitris Lignadis called upon to defend himself on all three cases of rape of minors. The trial continues.
