Priest accused of child rape remanded in prison

An Athens-based priest arrested last week on suspicion of raping a girl who attended his Sunday school was remanded in prison following his appearance before an investigating magistrate on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Orthodox cleric faces charges of rape, indecency, grooming and possession of photos of the girl that the accused asked her to send him.

According to the case file, the priest, who gave religious instruction at his parish Sunday school, committed the offences from 2019, when the girl was aged from 14 or 15, to May 2020.

The priest denies the charges, claiming that the girl, who is now 17 years old, was influenced into making allegations against him after “watching TV programs.”

Additional accusations against the priest have reportedly emerged since his initial arrest. [AMNA]