A shocking child neglect case out of Peristeri continues to disturb the public. Six children between the ages of 3 and 11 were found under deeply unsanitary conditions, living with their parents in a rooftop unit of just 27 square meters.

The parents were each sentenced to 16 months in prison, with the sentence suspended and the option to commute it through a monetary fine of 10 euros per day. The court found them guilty of the misdemeanor offense of child endangerment, imposing a suspended sentence with the possibility of buyout.

The case came to light following an anonymous tip from a citizen. Officers from the DIAS motorcycle police unit carried out an inspection of the home and found scenes of severe neglect, with garbage and filth covering the space where the children lived.

“The Mother Was Screaming Like a Maniac”

A person who had observed the family’s behavior and living conditions during their stay on the island of Leipsoi describes scenes that, as he puts it, bore no resemblance to any kind of normal life. According to the same testimony, the mother could be heard screaming loudly on a daily basis, apparently in a state of extreme agitation every afternoon.

“We are talking about completely abnormal things for a family. Every afternoon, the mother would scream in a frenzied state for at least an hour. On one hand, you could understand it given that there were 6 kids, but not to that degree, because she would scream like a maniac and you couldn’t make out what she was saying. It was like howling,” the island resident explains.

According to the same person, another resident had reportedly informed the local municipality about the family’s situation. “As far as I know, though, the municipality is not the right authority for these things. I had seen the family back in September 2025 and I noticed that the children were not going to school on a regular basis. In general, the family would come and go, and we couldn’t really figure out what was going on.”

The situation was apparently an open secret in the neighborhood, as the family’s condition raised concern among residents. “The little ones were malnourished, all of them with long, unkempt hair, and dirty. When they were in an enclosed space, you couldn’t sit next to them because the smell was so strong. The mother was completely antisocial, and whenever people tried to approach the children, she would call them away and they would leave.”

The island resident also explains that it was the children’s grandmother who looked after them and tried every way she could to help the family. “In general, the people from the island tried to help. I don’t know whether there was physical abuse against the children, but one afternoon I heard the mother shouting ‘I will kill you.’ We all saw what condition the children were in, but I don’t know what was happening inside their home.”

Garbage and Filth at the Rooftop Unit in Peristeri

When police officers conducted the inspection of the home in Peristeri, they found that the large family was living in a rooftop unit filled with garbage and waste.

The authorities deemed it necessary to remove the children from the home and transfer them to the “Panagiotis and Aglaia Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital, where they are being examined by medical staff.

At the same time, particular concern has been raised by the fact that, according to information from Mega television, there had been two prior reports to the child welfare organization “Smile of the Child” regarding this specific family, one in February 2025 and another in March 2026.