The Hellenic Police has been alarmed as two women – and a minor – reported that a young man attempted to rape them in Exarchia. According to police sources, the attacks took place on November 18 and 20, and the complainants are a 29-year-old, a 27-year-old, and a 13-year-old. The attempted rape of the 13-year-old girl took place at 2 pm on November 18 on Valtetsiou Street, while the minor was going to the gym.
According to the minor’s complaint to the local police station, the perpetrator grabbed her by the waist and began to push her against her will. The girl – using all her strength – managed to escape from the hands of her near rapist. The other two attempts took place at about 7 in the morning of November 20 at Zoodochos Pigi Street, and at the junction of Emmanouil Mpenaki and Nikitara Streets.
The – unidentified – perpetrator attacked first one woman and then the other in the same way: after shutting their mouths, he tried to rape them. Fortunately, both of them managed to escape from his hands, while they immediately reported the incident to the Exarchia Police Station. All three assault victims described the perpetrator as a man of average height, with blue eyes, light skin complexion, and up to 35 years old. Crucially, they all reported that the man spoke broken English.
On Tuesday afternoon, the police connected another case with the same perpetrator. According to a CCTV video, the attacker was wearing the same shorts as described by another victims – yet a different jacket. This incident occurred on Thursday, November 16 and is the fourth known incident about this man’s assaults. The Hellenic Police has launched a manhunt to locate and arrest the “dragon of Exarchia.”
According to a study conducted by the Hellenic Police back in 2021, only one in 24 cases of rape – of any kind – is reported to the authorities. This study also found that approximately 4,000 rapes – which are defined as sexual intercourse without consent – are committed annually in Greece, yet only 7 per cent-10 per cent are actually being reported.
After the Hellenic Police liaised with the authorities of most other EU countries, it concluded that Greece has the lowest rates of recorded rapes – and relevant complaints – in Europe.
The official figures reported to and by the Hellenic Police don’t tell the whole story, yet Greece and Cyprus were the bottom two countries in the rate of reported sexual crimes in Europe of 2020, scoring 1.79 and 3.38 (per 100000 citizens) respectively. On the other hand, countries like Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, were at the top – by far – scoring 204.7 per cent, 142.8per cent, 94.2per cent, and 91.9% respectively. Of course, the key tasks for the Hellenic Police – and, of course, the Ministry of Citizen Protection – is to ensure, first that Greece’s encouraging ratio reflects the truth, and second, that sexual perpetrators will always be found as quickly as possible.
