Former Greece National Theatre Artistic Director Dimitris Lignadis has been convicted of the rape of two men when they were minors, however, he has been released pending appeal after receiving a 12 years sentence.
The decision to release the 57-year-old actor, was met with public outcry by crowds gathered inside and outside the Athens courtroom, Kathimerini reported.
The presiding judge had to call on police to clear the room of protesters, while the defendant was escorted out of the court via a back door.
Lignadis, who has been barred from leaving the country has to report to the police precinct closest to his residence every first and 10th of each month and procure a post 30,000-euro bond by 29 July.
When arguing for his client’s release pending appeal, Lignadis’ lawyer, Alexis Kougias, told the court that it could take three to four years for an appeals verdict to be reached and urged the three judges and four jurors not to “destroy” his client’s life. Meanwhile, their plea for mitigating circumstances has been rejected.
The prosecutor argued against release, saying that Lignadis hadn’t acknowledged his crimes and that he could commit more as a result, calling for a 12-year sentence for each of the two rapes he has been convicted for which occurred in 2010 and 2015.
The judges and jury decided to sentence him to 10 years in one case and five in the other, with part of the sentences served concurrently, for a total prison term of 12 years.
Lignadis was acquitted for insufficient evidence in a third case, while the fourth accuser never appeared in court to testify, despite a court decision ordering him to. He had provided a false address.
The release pending appeal was granted in a 4-3 vote between jurors and will be heard by a five-judge court.
