With tears in her eyes and describing her daughter as a "survivor" of rape, testified today at the trial of Petros Filippidis, the mother of the first woman who had accused the actor of raping her in 2008, and repeatedly. "I felt tremendous guilt, I felt that I put my child in this environment. I lost my child who was my whole world. And he had ruined my world. ... I don't think I'll ever get over it. He decided to testify, but he'll torture me for the rest of my life. Why did he do it? He comes here and has the nerve to look me in the eye instead of putting it down," the witness said in her testimony about Petros Filippidis and then went on to detail her acquaintance with the accused, who is a colleague of hers and she had worked with him in theatrical performances.
As the witness testified, she met her colleague (for the rape of her daughter and two other attempted rapes) through the current president of the Greek Actors' Association, Sp. Bibilas. Then, as she explained, at a social event after a theatrical premiere, Petros Filippidis also met her daughter. "At the premiere of 'Bacalogo' he asked my daughter if she had enrolled in an acting school and told me that he himself would teach at a school and that the child should enroll there," the witness said and continued: "They started classes and I asked him how he sees her. He told me that 'he has the spark! One day when they finished the lesson he drove her to the theatre where we had the performance. The child was very happy at the school."
Later in her testimony, the actress referred to a meeting in 2010 with Petros Filippidis' wife Elpida Ninos. This meeting took place in a theatrical performance by Sp. Bibilas. Referring to this meeting, the complainant's mother told the court today: "I saw Hope Ninu at the venue. She came towards me and said 'is this where you are? I wanted to call you!" I came out with Bibila. "What has happened with your daughter and Peter?" he asked me. I was upset. "He started telling me that he doesn't know exactly what has happened, but something is going on. "Maybe the little girl was watching him at the theater and admiring him," she told me. I say to her 'he is not the epitome of beauty, there is no way my child ...'" the witness said.
Chairman: She mentioned it to you as if it was happening in 2010? The way you say it makes it sound like it was happening in 2010.
Witness: She was telling me "I don't care if the penetration has taken place."
President: Why would she tell you two years later?
Witness: I told her he was cheating on her, she's been through so much, and that she was telling me that my daughter had a crush on a 50-year-old like him? She was telling me that she knew something was going on.
President: Yes, but it's as if it was happening then as you say.
Witness: That's what she was saying. It was insane what I was living through. I went to see my child and I told her what Ninu told me. My child told me: "I couldn't tell you that he is m@@@@@@ and harassing and texting me". In 2021 she told me about physical harassment. She told me the DA has called her I thought he was going to call all of us. I started reading. I call her up and tell her I read that he raped a girl at the Ivy Theater. Then my daughter said: "Mommy, don't ask me any more questions, but the Ivy girl is me." I lost my footing. He had gone with half the theatre. Why would he rape my child?"
The bench put a series of questions to the witness when she had now told the court about the drama school where her daughter went and where the accused taught.
Chair: What was the relationship between the daughter and the accused?
Witness: They were discussing, he was telling her that there is a sacred teacher-student relationship and that the student should trust his teacher. He had a good relationship with my daughter. He was manipulative and convinced you of everything.
During her testimony the witness, as she had done before the investigator, mentioned that she had also been the recipient of inappropriate expressions on the part of P. Filippidis when she had separated from her partner. "I had asked him to stop. 'Come on,' he says, 'can't we have a joke on you? "You're a womanizer and I wanted to raise you." But he didn't harass me afterwards because he had so many others to harass. The year went by with the show and I would see another actress getting messages on her cell phone and being resentful. ...It was him sending her messages of vulgar content," the witness said."
Chairman: You told us about some of his behaviour towards you and other colleagues. Did you, when you had a young girl, did you warn her about his character?Witness: No, never because he would say "your child and your child". She showed interest, I would never suspect anything. He had won me over just like my daughter, I would never have thought of that.
The rape
Referring to her daughter and the first incident of rape that she reported to the judicial authorities, the witness said that in 2008, her child told her that he was going to see her for a performance at the theatre where P. Filippidis was performing. "When I returned home that night, her door was closed. In the morning I asked her 'what happened at Ivy? She was nervous and anxious. She said "leave me now with Ivy. She probably doesn't want me for the part". I asked him when I saw him if he would take the child for the role, he shouted "not now, not now!". I didn't find out what had happened," the witness testified.
With regard to the second incident of the alleged rape, the witness testified in court that in October when she and her daughter went to the theatre, the accused in a stern tone told the then young girl not to enter the theatre. "I asked him if anything had happened, he did not answer. I asked my child afterwards and she said 'don't you know him now? He is erratic". The kid didn't want me to know anything so I wouldn't leave my job. I am a mother and I don't know what I would do!" the complainant's mother said.
Bail for Filippidis found
Earlier, the trial began at the Mixed Jury Court of Athens, without the presence of Petros Filippidis. According to his lawyers, the accused actor is expected to be released from the hospital in the coming days, as his temporary detention has been replaced with conditions. Indeed, one of the actor's lawyers Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, told the audience that the bail of 20,000 euros has been paid. The lawyer said the money was paid with the contribution of two theatrical producers, but also with an amount given by the SEH from the actor's copyright. "Mr. Bibilas informed Petros Filippides' wife that there is an amount to receive and for us it was important," Dimitrakopoulos said.
Source: Proto Thema
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
