In Brief
Pedophile case
Alleged child abuser due to testify on new charges today A 47-year-old man from Edessa, northern Greece, alleged to have sexually abused three Albanian boys and paid their fathers not to report the alleged assaults, is today due to give additional testimony after two more youths claimed to have been molested by him. The two boys, aged 11 and 16, told police on Saturday that the man had allegedly abused them in 2003 and 2004. The suspect, arrested last Wednesday in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of three boys aged 9 to 13, has been remanded in custody along with the father of one of the alleged victims. LANDFILL ACCIDENT Truck driver loses his leg The capital’s only landfill in Ano Liosia, northwestern Athens, yesterday remained closed following a mysterious accident on Saturday which led to a garbage truck driver losing his leg. The driver was injured late on Saturday but the circumstances of the accident were yesterday unclear. He was rushed to hospital where doctors decided to amputate the worker’s leg due to the seriousness of the injuries sustained. Two machine operators employed at the Ano Liosia site were yesterday being questioned in connection with the incident. Illegal immigrants Authorities detained yesterday 44 illegal immigrants in the northern town of Soufli, on the border with Turkey, after finding them hidden in the back of a truck that had just crossed into Greek territory. Authorities said that they had also arrested three suspected people smugglers, a 24-year-old Palestinian, a 33-year-old Iraqi and a 20-year-old Afghan. The would-be immigrants told police that they were from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, the Palestinian territories and Iraq. They said they slipped into Greece by crossing the Evros River. They boarded the truck once inside Greece, police said. Suspect arrested A 30-year-old man was arrested in Meteora, northern Greece, on Friday and charged with illegal arms possession and dealing in narcotics, police reported on Saturday. After searching the man’s home, anti-narcotics officers discovered a pistol, ammunition, a small quantity of cocaine and cannabis, 1,800 euros in cash, and a notebook documenting details of drug transactions. Staged theft A 37-year-old man allegedly reported a false robbery in Thessaloniki and stabbed himself in the arm in a bid to be more convincing as he attempted to cover up a gambling debt, police said. The suspect, who was not identified, told police that he was attacked by three men armed with knives as he was getting out of his car in the Moudanio area and robbed of 86,000 euros in cash. Police said the man’s story was inconsistent and that he later confessed to making up the story after he gambled away 86,000 euros which did not belong to him. Canal reopens The Corinth Canal, west of Athens, reopened on Friday after being closed for five days due to a landslide, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The canal, which connects the Ionian and the Aegean seas, provides an alternative route to sailing around the Peloponnese.
