Georgian gets life for murder
Georgian national David Murtikneli was given a life sentence yesterday for the murder of popular Greek actor Nikos Sergianopoulos in 2008. The 56year-old victim had been found stabbed 21 times in his apartment. According to police files, the actor picked up the 35-year-old Georgian at Victoria Square in central Athens and invited him back to his apartment. The Georgian, who confessed to the crime, alleged that the victim had made aggressive sexual advances while holding a knife before he disarmed and stabbed him.
Seismic activity.
The research director of the Institute of Geodynamics at the National Observatory of Athens, Vassilis Karastathis, yesterday sought to allay fears over increased earthquake activity close to Crete, where a 5.9 Richter quake hit south of the island last Saturday, followed by a 5.6 magnitude aftershock the following day. According to Karastathis, the quake’s epicenter, about 50 kilometers off the island’s south coast, was located in a highly seismic area where tectonic plates converge, while aftershock activity was within the norm.
Embezzler sentenced.
A court in Larissa, central Greece, yesterday sentenced a female bank manager on trial for embezzlement to 25 years in jail. The court also handed a 10-year prison term to her spouse. According to the ruling, the woman pilfered some 1.8 million euros from clients’ accounts during the 2004-08 period, a sum she returned to depositors after the scam came to light.
On the run.
A 22-year-old Albanian national detained on robbery charges escaped from a court in Larissa, central Greece, yesterday. According to authorities, the suspect had been transferred from the Larissa Prison to the court to stand trial.
Addiction.
One in four drug users who tested positive for HIV in 2012 are women, according to the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO). While women represent 12 percent of drug addicts, they make up 24 percent of those who tested positive for HIV, the center said.
Diplomat dies.
Veteran Greek diplomat Stefanos Stathatos died yesterday, aged 91. Stathatos served in Cairo and Washington and represented Greece at NATO, the UN and the EEC. He was also appointed ambassador to France, the UK and the Vatican.