A 28-year-old man has been arrested in Athens after brutally assaulting his 37-year-old former partner, who was pregnant, causing injuries that resulted in the death of the unborn baby, according to Greek authorities.
The attack took place on Tuesday night at the woman’s apartment in the Athens suburb of Kallithea. According to the victim’s statement to police, the suspect had opposed the pregnancy and repeatedly demanded that she terminate it.
She told investigators that the assault lasted for around 90 minutes, during which the man threw objects at her, punched and kicked her, and repeatedly targeted her abdomen after she refused to have an abortion.
“He threw me onto the bed and, while I was lying down, he put his leg on my stomach and pressed down. Then he used his knee until I managed to push him away,” the woman said in her statement.
The victim was taken to Attikon Hospital in serious condition, where doctors performed an emergency Caesarean section. Despite their efforts, the baby, a girl, did not survive.
According to the head of Greece’s public hospital workers’ federation, the woman had extensive bruising across her body and had suffered severe injuries.
The victim told police that her former partner initially tried to persuade her to end the pregnancy but turned to violence when she refused.
The attack was reportedly interrupted after a resident in the apartment building heard the woman’s screams and came downstairs to investigate, a development that may have saved her life.
The suspect was arrested in central Athens on Thursday evening and is expected to appear before an investigating magistrate next week.
Prosecutors have filed multiple charges against him, including attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
