A 78-year-old man was yesterday charged by a Piraeus prosecutor with attempting to molest two teenage schoolboys in nearby Keratsini, southwest Athens.

The pensioner was arrested outside a junior high school on Tuesday after the father of one of the boys saw the 78-year-old speaking to the youngsters, aged 13 and 14. He called the police and then detained the man himself, until officers arrived.

Police said that the pensioner had been pestering the two boys for the last 10 days, offering money so he could perform indecent acts with them. It was not clear how much money he offered the youngsters.

The suspect allegedly admitted that he had recently paid two other boys for the same purpose. Police said that more complaints were filed against the pensioner after he was arrested.