File photo.
A court in Patra, western Greece, has acquitted a father charged with violating the sexual dignity of his 9-year-old daughter after he fell asleep next to her while watching television.
The Single-Member Misdemeanor Court ruled that the father’s actions did not constitute a criminal offense. According to the case details, the incident occurred on May 18 while the pair were watching a children’s movie at home.
The following morning, the girl mentioned to her mother in a “natural and matter-of-fact manner” that she had slept next to her father. Believing the incident could negatively affect her daughter’s emotional development, the mother filed a criminal complaint for domestic abuse.
Defense attorney Akis Vavaroutas argued that the case file contained absolutely no allegations of inappropriate conduct, gestures, or remarks, and that the two had simply shared a bed for one night.
