Victim recounts 2010 assault

The complainant described an incident at the Mousouri Theatre in 2010, where she said she was sexually assaulted by Filippidis while meeting him for professional reasons. She testified that she resisted his advances, screamed, and banged on the dressing room door until he eventually opened it, warning her as she left: “If you go through this door, there’s no going back. I can just as easily destroy someone’s career as I can build it.”

Detailing her experience, the victim described her fear, the threats she received from Filippidis, and her decision not to report the incident earlier. “My only way of coping was to try to forget, even for myself,” she said.

Prosecutor’s questions spark backlash

During the cross-examination, the prosecutor’s comments and questions caused significant outrage. At one point, the prosecutor asked the victim: “Rapists open the door? We’ve never heard that before…” referring to her account that Filippidis had opened the door for her to leave.

The prosecutor’s remarks continued to provoke reactions, including a question about the victim’s underwear during the assault: “Were you wearing a thong or regular underwear?” They also enquired how the defendant “got an erection so quickly at his age,” adding, “He was a big man, too.”

The most contentious moment came when the prosecutor asked the complainant to sit on the bench next to Filippidis to recreate the scene of the alleged assault. The complainant’s lawyers protested, requesting the court’s president to protect their client.

Filippidis faces appeal

Filippidis, a once-celebrated actor, is being retried after receiving an eight-year prison sentence in February 2023 for two attempted rapes. He was acquitted of repeated rape due to insufficient evidence. The initial trial rejected his request for mitigating circumstances but allowed a suspension of his sentence pending appeal.

The second-instance trial, initially scheduled for June 2023, has faced repeated delays, including a postponement in November due to the illness of the second complainant. It now continues with both the original charges and the handling of the trial under scrutiny.

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