55-year-old Woman Imprisoned For Stalking Journalist

A Thessaloniki court sent a 55-year-old woman to prison after convicting her of stalking a journalist and radio producer through persistent surveillance and threats.

The three-member Misdemeanours Court of Thessaloniki found the woman guilty of making threats through repeated monitoring. The judges recognised diminished responsibility and imposed a 10-month prison sentence, ordering her to serve it.

The case returned to court on appeal after the Single-Member Misdemeanours Court of Thessaloniki convicted the woman in November 2024 and sentenced her to 12 months in prison. The court suspended that earlier sentence pending the appeal hearing.

Testifying in court, the journalist described what she called a nightmare that began in 2009. She told the judges she had no personal relationship with the woman and had never known her socially.

The victim said the stalking started with repeated phone calls to her workplace before the woman began calling her home. She said the harassment escalated in 2012 when the woman started sending gifts continuously, including chocolates, bouquets, jewellery and teddy bears. She also said the woman called at inappropriate hours and ignored her privacy.

The journalist said she sought legal protection in recent years by requesting injunction measures to stop the woman approaching her. However, she told the court the stalker continued to follow her, with occasional pauses.

“I feel fear. She is a person who does not accept ‘no’. I don’t know what she will put in her head next time and how far she might go,” the journalist told the court.

During her defence, the 55-year-old admitted her actions and cited psychiatric problems. Her doctor, who testified as a witness, confirmed the mental health issues.

“The radio was my only company. I only want good. It’s true I sent her gifts, as I did to other people,” she told the court.

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