File photo.
A court has sentenced a French national to 20 years in prison for the death of a 36-year-old woman on Crete, a case that shocked Greece in December 2024.
The Iraklio Mixed Jury Court recognized diminished criminal responsibility in its verdict, rejecting a defense request for psychiatric institutionalization. The crime occurred in the municipality of Hersonissos, where surveillance cameras captured the 34-year-old defendant striking the victim with his car as she stepped out of her vehicle, fatally injuring her.
In his defense, the accused stated he had not intended to kill the woman, believed she had been surveilling him, and claimed no memory of the moments when he fatally struck her. Prosecution attorney Giorgos Kokosalis argued the system bore significant responsibility for the woman’s death.
“The 36-year-old was murdered 80% by the system and 20% by the Frenchman,” he said, citing failures in the defendant’s prior psychiatric evaluation. Defense attorney Giorgos Karoutsos expressed satisfaction that his client avoided a life sentence.
