The examination of the second complainant, a 24-year-old man of Egyptian origin, will continue tomorrow morning at the Athens Mixed Jury Court. The complex trial of Dimitris Lignadis who is accused of four total rapes, three minors and one adult. This is a rape which, according to the complainant, took place in a hotel in Palea Epidaurus in 2015, when he was 17 years old.
The accused actor-director allegedly travelled by car, together with the 17-year-old and another friend, to Ancient Epidaurus in order to attend a theatrical performance on the weekend of 24-26 July 2015. It should be noted that initially the complainant had testified that the trip took place in early August and then changed his testimony regarding the dates in question, claiming that he had made a mistake and that he confirmed the actual time period of the trip by talking to his friend who was with them.
According to protothema.gr information, however, there is a witness and even an actor who had seen Lignadis with the two young men at the end of July in Epidaurus, a fact he intends to confirm before the court.
The then 17-year-old young man knew Dimitris Lignadis, had appeared in his performances and had been hosted at his home for a short period of time: "I, together with two other friends aged 16, were 'the children of Lignadis'. This made us feel in our teenage years great, special and important," he said in his initial statement, adding: "He took advantage of our emotional needs and lack of support from our family environment, using us to perform sexual acts with us." The young man of Egyptian origin admits that he had engaged in some sexual activities with the defendant who, with one of his underage friends, "had performed anal sex."
Regarding his alleged rape in Epidaurus, he claims that it happened during the last night of their stay at a hotel in the area, which he has named and described, at dawn on July 26, 2015. More specifically, he describes how while he was asleep Dimitris Lignadis immobilized him by taking advantage of his body weight and forced him into anal intercourse when he realized it was something he did not want, until he reached an erotic climax.
In the meantime, the plaintiff has submitted to the competent authorities some joint photos of himself and Dimitris Lignadis, which the latter threatened him never to publish: "Lignadis had threatened me that if a photo of me with him was published, one of his ex-wives would come and throw acid in my face."....!
According to him, his rape at Epidaurus was the reason for him to distance himself from the director for a while, but when he told him through a friend that if he didn't appear in the show he was performing in, he would break up with him for good, the 17-year-old obeyed. "I, at 17, had no support from my family in anything. Lignadis knew that and took advantage of it. He knew how to influence my behaviour and manipulate me," he has testified, adding that during his 20-day stay at his home he insulted and belittled him so he decided to leave.
Source: Proto Thema
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