In the Mixed Jury Court of Heraklion, the trial continues in the case of three-year-old Angelos, who died under tragic and suspicious circumstances. The 44-year-old cohabitant of the child’s mother stands accused of causing his death — a charge he denies. Both he and the boy’s mother are on trial.
A Relationship That Deteriorated
According to reports from Cretalive, the defendant described the early days of their shared life in Heraklion as joyful. He said the mother and Angelos arrived with warmth and hope, and that their cohabitation was initially harmonious. At the time, he was employed and claimed to have developed a close bond with the toddler, calling him a “wonderful, very good child.”
He recounted spending daily time with Angelos — playing ball, going to swings — often for one or two hours while the mother stayed at home. But he said tensions began when he witnessed her forcing food into the child’s mouth, telling her it wasn’t appropriate. She reportedly dismissed his concern, saying, “Everything’s fine — don’t interfere.” He described feeling emotionally frozen and detached.
Allegations Against the Mother
The defendant also described a second incident: he claimed the mother slapped Angelos after the boy put his hand in soapy water, causing his lips to bleed. He said Angelos himself told him about the slap, and that he confronted the mother — addressing her by name, Eleftheria — warning her that her behavior was unacceptable.
When asked by the presiding judge whether they argued, he insisted they did not fight verbally — but said Eleftheria frequently lost her temper, even over minor things like the child placing toy cars on the living room table.
Separation and Denials
He testified that, disturbed by what he described as the mother’s escalating aggression toward Angelos, he asked to separate. According to him, she contacted her father for financial help to leave — but received none — and thus remained in the household.
He stated their relationship had effectively ended: sexual contact ceased, communication dwindled, and their cohabitation became little more than that of flatmates. He emphasized he never laid a hand on Angelos — “I never hit Angelos. Never. I didn’t hit my own child here,” he declared.
The presiding judge questioned whether Angelos’ non-biological status and energetic temperament might have contributed to stress in the household — a line of inquiry left incomplete in the available report.