A 50-year-old man from Larissa was sentenced to 22 months in prison by the Larissa Misdemeanor Court for holding his former wife hostage inside her home on Thursday, 25 June. Armed with an axe and threatening to set her on fire using flammable material, he livestreamed parts of the incident on social media.
Court Ruling and Key Intervention
The court’s decision, issued on Friday, mandates that he serve two months of the 22-month sentence immediately. A crucial factor in resolving the crisis peacefully was the off-duty intervention of a police officer who successfully persuaded the man to surrender — preventing further escalation.
Mother Speaks Out
Speaking on Monday morning’s Proino show on ANT1, the man’s mother expressed anger toward her son but also attempted to contextualize his actions. She cited his recent grueling work schedule — long hours outdoors in the sun — as a possible contributing factor to his mental state.
“Of course, we were deeply distressed by all this,” she said. “He’ll stay with me — where else can he go? He doesn’t even have a home of his own. His wife was with him for 16 years. What he did or didn’t do — she never told me. I actually have a very good relationship with her. On the day it happened, when she first joked with me — ‘I’m going to…’ — I called her right away to warn her: ‘Be careful, take the child with you,’ because I knew one of their children was with me at the time. But she was at church and didn’t answer the call. What can I say now? He snapped. At some point, the nervous system just gives out — and people do irrational things.”
She added: “It’s true he’d been working extremely hard lately and was exhausted — perhaps that played a role. The heat, the physical strain — maybe it affected him. I stand by him regarding losing access to his children and the way he left the marital home. I’m not excusing what he did — don’t misunderstand me. I’m angry with him. He’ll serve his sentence and calm down. Both he and I need patience — that’s exactly what I told him today when I greeted him. And he’ll be okay.”
Motivation Behind the Incident
When asked whether her son had ever explained why he took such drastic action, she replied: “Because she wouldn’t let him see the children — that’s what he told me. She allowed visits, yes, but only on her terms. When he wanted time with them, she’d say, ‘They’re studying,’ or ‘They have plans.’ Now it’s summer — she says she’ll take them to the seaside, since she has a house there. But my son doesn’t even own a car — how is he supposed to get there?”