A 52-year-old business owner in Thessaloniki has spoken publicly about the ordeal she experienced after a violent attack inside her shop earlier this month, saying she feared for her life throughout the assault.
The incident took place on May 12, when a 25-year-old man entered her store and initially appeared to be browsing. According to the victim, the suspect, who is unable to speak, attempted to communicate through gestures before showing her sexually explicit content on his mobile phone.
The woman said the situation escalated rapidly. The suspect allegedly threatened her with a sharp object, forced her to the ground and assaulted her.
“Every minute felt like an eternity”
Recounting the attack, the woman said she had been speaking on the phone with her husband when the suspect suddenly became aggressive.
“He came into the shop and pretended to be looking around. He didn’t speak at all. At that moment I called my husband, and then he showed me explicit content on his phone and attacked me,” she said.
According to her account, the man produced a small knife, threatened her and knocked her to the floor.
“He started hitting me while I was on the ground, striking my head and trying to strangle me with a curtain and a pair of trousers. I thought I was going to die. I tried to resist,” she said.
The woman credited her husband’s timely arrival with saving her life.
“Fortunately, my husband arrived within minutes, stopped him and forced him out of the shop. If my husband had already left for work, I would not be alive today. Every minute in his hands felt like an eternity.”
Injuries and Criminal Charges
The victim suffered an injury to her arm during the attack and was taken to a hospital, where she received medical treatment.
Authorities have filed charges against the 25-year-old including attempted homicide, violation of sexual dignity, dangerous bodily harm and weapons-related offences.
The investigation is being handled by the local crime investigation unit.
The suspect is already being held in pre-trial detention after being arrested days later in connection with the alleged robbery of a 22-year-old woman, an incident reported to have occurred on May 17, five days after the attack on the shop owner.
