Sexual abuse of twins in Rhodes: 52-year-old Belarusian woman referred to Mixed Jury Court
A ruling dated 28 August 2026 refers a 52-year-old woman for rape, child abuse, and child pornography offences against two twin children in Rhodes.
Referral of 52-year-old Belarusian woman for sexual abuse of twin minors in Rhodes
A 52-year-old Belarusian woman has been referred to the Mixed Jury Court of the Dodecanese Court of Appeal, accused of sexually abusing two minor twin siblings—a boy and a girl—in Rhodes. According to Dikastiko.gr, the Misdemeanour Court Council of Rhodes issued a ruling on 28 August 2026 whereby it accepted in full the prosecutorial proposal, finding that there is sufficient evidence of guilt to publicly support the charge before a court audience.
The case began in the summer of 2022 with a report of domestic violence and child neglect by their parents. Over four years it developed into one of the most serious prosecutions that have occupied the courts of the island.
Three felony charges
The ruling refers the accused woman for three felonious acts. First, rape in concert with an unknown perpetrator against minors in succession. Second, abuse of minors under fourteen years of age, with the aggravating circumstance that the accused woman maintained friendly relations with their relatives. Third, production and possession of child pornographic material via information systems, with the use of force and threats of force against children under 12 years of age, by a person to whom the children had been entrusted for supervision.
The acts are alleged to have been committed in Rhodes at a time that cannot be determined precisely, within the period from June 2017 to 30 June 2022. The children, born in late 2014, were of pre-school and early primary school age during that period.
The indictment
According to the indictment, the accused woman is alleged, jointly with a man of unknown identity, to have removed the children's clothing, shown them visual material of nude adults with indecent content on television, and, using physical violence and threats, forced them to engage in sexual acts with the unknown man and with herself. She is also alleged to have immobilised the children to prevent them from escaping. Regarding the pornography, she is alleged to have video recorded and photographed the children with a mobile telephone during the described acts, creating digital files which she possessed for at least a brief period of time. The acts are alleged to have been committed by a person who maintained a friendly relationship with the parents, who had entrusted her with the supervision and custody of their children.
The foregoing constitutes the substance of the charge as recorded in the ruling and has not been decided by a court.
Annulment of initial statements and new examination
A pivotal point in the course of the prosecution was the annulment of the minors' initial statements. On 14 November 2025 the accused woman requested that the statements given by the children to the Rhodes Security Directorate in July 2022 and May 2023 be declared void, citing the lack of audio-visual recording and the failure to summon her to exercise her defence rights. The Misdemeanour Court Council, in its ruling no. 19/2026, granted the request and ordered the examination to be repeated.
On 19 February 2026 the two children, now 11 years old, were examined for the third time, using appropriate equipment and in the presence of a psychologist appointed by the First Investigating Judge. The Prosecution noted the additional psychological burden from repeated examination, but observed that the children confirmed the core of the alleged events.
The new statements
The girl described an incident at the beach where the accused woman is alleged to have placed hot stones and sand in the children's swimming costume, as well as a visit to her house, where she is alleged to have removed their clothing, shown them visual material of nude adults on television, and held the child's hands so that she would touch the unknown man. She stated that she did not speak because she was afraid and that the parents had encouraged them not to reveal what they had suffered.
The boy described the beach incident and the visit to the house in a similar way, noting that there was an unknown man present and that a video was recorded, whilst at many points he stated that he did not remember details.
The expert psychologist deemed both statements reliable. For the girl she noted that it was consistent, direct, and spontaneous, with unusual details that could not be the product of suggestion. For the boy she observed that, despite gaps in the timeframe—which are justified by his young age at the time and the passage of time—the core of the memory remains consistent. Both children used vocabulary appropriate for their age, without the precocious formulations that had been observed in 2022.
According to the Prosecution, the fact that the children recall individual details differently whilst agreeing on the core of the events not only does not undermine but reinforces their credibility, as identical accounts at each statement would suggest suggestion.
The defence argument
The accused woman denies the charges in their entirety. In her statement she maintained that the woman who now has temporary custody of the children exploited the parents' weakness and the economic dependence of the teachers in order to make a false report and influence the children. The Prosecution rejected this claim, noting that the woman in question never turned directly against the accused woman and provided no testimony relating to sexual abuse.
The Misdemeanour Court Council of Rhodes maintained in parallel the restrictive conditions that have been imposed on the accused woman pending trial of the case by the Mixed Jury Court.
Source: Dikastiko.gr