The trial of Petros Filippidis, accused of serious acts of sexual violence against his colleagues, is expected to begin today before the Mixed Jury Court, which was suspended on March 18 at the request of the actor's side.
According to the defense, the accused for one rape and two attempted rapes will be in the courtroom today, from which he was absent at the beginning of the trial, citing a serious health problem he is facing.
This was the reason why the artist's lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, requested during the previous trial that the trial be adjourned so that his client could appear in court and state his position against those charged in the case. The lawyer even mentioned that the actor's intention is to ask questions to his colleagues who complain about him.
Although the court, as the President and the Prosecutor pointed out, did not receive any certificate from Mr. Filippidis about his state of health, it accepted the request of Mr. Dimitrakopoulos, defining the current trial as the one in which the accused will be found. before the judges to make his initial statement against the charges.
The hearing is expected to begin today and the women who complain about their colleague will be present at the witness stand. However, it is currently being asked whether their statements will be presented to the public in the courtroom or whether they will speak to the judges about what they claim to have suffered, without publicity. According to the statements of the defendant's lawyer, it was informed that the Civil Action today intends to request a closed-door procedure for the depositions of the three complainants, a request that Mr. Dimitrakopoulos hinted that concerns him as he states: "I believe that publicity ensures a more correct and correct judicial decision ".
If the side of the victims, citing protection of private and family life, but also mental suffering of the three women, as defined in the relevant provision of the Criminal Procedure, asks to testify with the doors of the MOD closed, the court after hearing the prosecutor's proposal for issue, weigh the data and issue a reasoned decision to accept or reject the request.
According to the indictment that will be read in court, the actor, who was temporarily detained since last July, allegedly raped a colleague in 2008, an act that was done twice, as well as attempted to rape two other actors, in 2010 and 2014. The two acts, as mentioned in the case file, were performed in his dressing room, where his colleagues were for professional reasons, while in the third case he tried to rape the actress in his car, also after a business meeting he had with the then unemployed, I was suffering.
The accused denies the accusations, claiming that the complainants aim at their personal projection by slandering him.
Apart from the three women, other colleagues are expected to testify in court, including the president of the Greek Actors Association.