Rape claims muddy the waters in Mitseros case

A woman from the Philippines says she was raped by the accused serial killer in the Mitseros case, while reports show police received a preemptive complaint from Orestis himself against his potential accuser two years ago.

As the Mitseros serial killer investigation continues to unfold Monday with ongoing searches for bodies in watery graves, local media are picking up on a new development in a rape story in connection with the army captain who has admitted to committing seven murders.

Last week, a Filipina domestic worker said she was raped in 2017 by the 35-year-old suspect known as Orestis but did not go to the police to file a complaint. But after learning about the real scope and identity of the suspect, she filed a formal accusation of rape against the suspect.

Following this latest development, local media have unearthed another peculiar piece of the puzzle in the rape story, where it turns out that the suspected serial killer had preemptively filed a complaint against the woman on 28 February 2017.

According to Reporter, Orestis alleged in his police complaint that he was receiving threats from a woman, whom he described as a former girlfriend who was seeking revenge for raping her. The suspect said in a written statement that the two had consensual sex and he simply wanted to alert police in case the woman, whom he had named in the report, attempted to accuse him of rape. 

No follow up

In his statement, the suspected serial killer said he wanted to “notify police of a possible accusation” that might be launched against him while at the same time he did not wish for the police to get involved. 

According to the complaint, Orestis gave police the name and phone number of the Filipina in question, but it was not clear whether she was contacted by authorities for a follow up or the matter was dropped.

Falling on deaf ears

A publication by daily Politis last week said the woman was shocked upon learning of the suspect’s arrest in the Mitseros murders. She was also having feelings of guilt for not finding the courage to go to the police to report she had been raped by the man who turned out to be the confessed killer of at least seven females, including two children.

A member of the Filipino community, Lissa Jataas, recently spoke on the issue suggesting that police officers were not known amongst fellow domestic workers for taking rape complaints seriously.

Jataas, who is also the founder of Obreras Empowered, a female migrant domestic workers group in Cyprus, said rape victims are reluctant to report crimes against them because of a history of complaints falling on deaf ears.