Stathis Panagiotopoulos, a TV personality in Greece, has been sentenced to five years of prison for having posted sexually explicit content without the consent of his ex-partner.
The Criminal Court of Thessaloniki, a port city in northern Greece, on February 9, condemned Stathis Panagiotopoulos to five years of prison, with a three-year suspension, and a fine of 10,000 euros (11,200 dollars).
Stathis Panagiotopoulos posted intimate moments with his ex-partner online without her consent.
This Greek public figure is also banned from leaving Greece and is required to show up at a Police station once a month.
Stathis Panagiotopoulos was the co-presenter of the satyrical show Arvyla until December 2021 when revenge porn allegations appeared. Created in 2008, Radio Arvyla is one of Greece’s most popular TV shows. He also stopped working at the talk-show Vinyl.
The 59-year-old didn’t physically attend the trial at the request of the defense to avoid a traumatic confrontation in court. The former partner, a 30-year-old woman, wants to remain anonymous and also asked the media through her lawyer not to take any pictures or videos of her at the trial.
Stathis Panagiotopoulos involved in at least three cases
The prosecutor suggested considering the acts as a crime, but the court kept it as a misdemeanor because there was no evidence of an “intent to harm” the victim.
According to Mr. Panagiotopoulos lawyers, the sentence is the highest possible for such acts in Greek law.
He had issued an apology and regretted his acts. He admits having posted sexual content online before 2019 but claims he had deleted them within a few months.
Videos resurfaced as the woman sued him for the content displayed in 2021 but he denies having posted anything since then and argues somebody else must have done it.
Mr. Panagiotopoulos is involved in two other similar cases.
Two other women, 34 and 53, also sued him for posting erotic photos and videos on porn websites and social media. For these two cases, Mr. Panagiotopoulos will be prosecuted for a felony this time.
Updates: Mr. Panagiotopoulos was released on parole with a ban on leaving the country, and the obligation to appear in person once a month at the police station where he lives, and to be monitored by a social worker. The case was appealed by a prosecutor, considering it should have been prosecuted for a felony, which was accepted and referred to a higher court and will be judged in September 2023. More women, including a Greek journalist, found out they were included in intimate videos recorded with Mr. Panagiotopoulos and published on the internet.
