Man recants abuse claims
A 21-year-old man arrested in Nikaia, western Athens, on Sunday has recanted his confession to authorities that he sexually abused more than 20 boys, insisting that police pressured him into making false statements, sources said. The unnamed suspect had told police that in the last three months he had assaulted 20 boys between the ages of 8 and 15 and attempted to abuse 20 more. However, in testimony to an investigating magistrate yesterday, the suspect claimed that he had only physically beaten three boys and attempted to assault a fourth child. The suspect has been remanded in custody after being charged with sexual assault, kidnapping and illegal use and possession of a weapon. Criminologist Angelos Tsigris told Kathimerini that it is the first time in Greece that a suspect has allegedly confessed on his own accord to such a serious and large-scale crime.
