
A 26-year-old man and his 24-year-old accomplice of Albanian origin were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and rape of Eleni Topaloudi.
The 26-year-old Roditis and the co-accused of Albanian origin were unanimously sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes of intentional homicide and gang rape of the student. The Court of Appeal did not grant them any relief, Greek media reports.
During the session, prosecutor Eleni Kovtaktsi proposed to absorb the grounds of appeal presented by 26-year-old Roditis and his 24-year-old co-defendant, emphasizing that the sentence of the Court of Appeal has a specificity and detailed reasoning as required by the Constitution and the law .
The two convicts argued, among other things, that during their trial at the Court of Appeal, the presumption of their innocence was violated, as they did not have a fair trial, but also because of the great publicity the case had received. They also argued that serious evidence was not considered by the court and finally mitigating factors were not recognized.
The prosecutor said that " judges are not influenced by publications, they decide according to the Constitution and laws ".
The lawyers of the two convicts have supported in detail the grounds of appeal contained in their request and have requested the annulment of the decision of the Court of Appeal. The decision of the 6th Criminal Department of the Supreme Court is now awaited.