A 55-year-old woman endured prolonged captivity and brutal abuse inside a home in Crete, where she was repeatedly assaulted and the attacks were filmed on a mobile phone, according to Greek police.
The victim, a foreign national, was held inside a residence in the city of Heraklion, where she suffered severe physical abuse at the hands of a 42-year-old woman, also a foreign national. Authorities say the motive for the attack and the relationship between the two women remain unknown.
Investigators found at least 11 videos on the suspect’s mobile phone documenting the abuse. In one recording, the victim is beaten with a wooden club until she begins bleeding. In another, she is seen tied up and lying exhausted on the floor while her attacker strikes her before cutting off her hair with a meat cleaver.
According to the investigation, the incident took place on the morning of June 25 in the Agia Triada area of Heraklion. Police say the victim was repeatedly punched and slapped before being beaten with a club.
Victim Escaped While Attacker Slept
During the ordeal, the woman was subjected to death threats, verbal abuse and acts that police say violated her sexual dignity. Authorities said the home’s exit had been blocked by tying the door shut with a cable, preventing her from leaving.
The victim managed to escape only after the attacker fell asleep.
Police described the discovery of the videos as particularly shocking, noting that the abuse had been recorded without the victim’s consent. Eleven video files documenting the torture were recovered from the suspect’s phone.
Investigation Began by Chance
The case came to light unexpectedly during a separate police investigation into the theft of a mobile phone. While examining the device, officers discovered the videos, leading to the full investigation of the abuse.
During searches, police seized the meat cleaver believed to have been used in the attack, bloodstained clothing, a lock of human hair, a broken wooden stick and the mobile phones belonging to those involved.
The investigation also led to the involvement of a 60-year-old foreign national who owned the house. According to the case file, he knew the two women were staying at the property and had made the residence available before leaving. He was arrested on charges related to illegal residence in Greece.
Police said the 42-year-old woman was not arrested for the abuse because the legal time limit for an immediate arrest had expired. However, she remains in custody in connection with a separate case, while the investigation into the torture continues.
