Court releases man who paid girl (16) for sex pending appeal
A court in Thessaloniki has sentenced a 49-year-old man to four years in prison after finding him guilty of paying a 16-year-old girl to engage in a sexual act with him.
However, the man was released on bail pending an appeal.
According to the case file, the minor lived in an orphanage but she engaged in sex work when let out.
The incident in question took place in June 2023.
“He asked me how old I am and I told him 17.5, which is a year older than I am,” the girl said in a statement, which was read in court.
When the accused refused to pay the agreed amount, she fought back.
“To force him to pay, I took his cell phone and ran out of the car,” he said. A passerby heard the commotion and notified the police, who proceeded to arrest the 49-year-old.
In his testimony, the defendant said that the girl looked older but he denied that anything had happened between them. He added that he paid the girl the money in the presence of the police in order to get his phone back.
His defense told the court that the man was raising a minor daughter on his own. [AMNA]
