A 72-year-old pensioner in the Greek port city of Volos has been sentenced to prison after threatening his wife and concealing weapons at home.
The Single-Member Misdemeanour Court of Volos convicted the man of domestic threat following a confrontation on September 26. Judges handed down an 18-month prison sentence and ordered him to serve three months behind bars, while suspending the remaining 15 months.
Officers called to the residence uncovered a pistol and an axe hidden inside an envelope among underwear in a bedroom wardrobe. Alongside the concealed weapons, a handwritten note left in plain view provided instructions for managing property and finances in the event of death, detailing every matter down to the cost of his funeral.
Domestic row over living costs
The incident unfolded during an intense dispute at a family residence in Volos, according to local newspaper Taxydromos. The defendant's wife had urged him to leave their daughter's home so they could return to their own permanent residence.
The 72-year-old strongly resisted the move, arguing that maintaining their own home would significantly inflate their household expenses. As the dispute escalated, he threatened his wife, warning her that only an undertaker or a prosecutor would ever remove them from the property.
Terrified by the threat and fearful of what her husband might do, the woman reported the confrontation to police. A subsequent search of the property led to the discovery of the concealed weapons and the estate management note.
Prosecution case and financial control
During court proceedings, the bench prosecutor recommended a guilty verdict, portraying the defendant as an exceptionally calculating individual who sought total domination over the family budget.
The prosecutor described the pensioner as manipulative to the verge of obsessive-compulsive disorder. To illustrate the extent of his financial surveillance, the prosecutor noted that the defendant meticulously recorded every single household purchase, including the cost of a chocolate bar.
The prosecution argued that the wife experienced overwhelming dread when she realised what he was capable of, prompting her urgent decision to alert law enforcement authorities.
Disputed evidence and defense claims
Taking the stand, the defendant denied all criminal charges and insisted he had never intended to harm his spouse. He told the court that he loved his wife and had no reason to commit any violent act.
He claimed the note regarding property and funeral arrangements was an old document written two years earlier when he was suffering from serious medical problems. However, he was unable to explain why the document bore the date September 30, 2026.
The defendant also failed to explain why, during an earlier domestic violence investigation, he had told investigators that a head wound sustained by his wife had been inflicted by their daughter rather than himself.
Addressing his record-keeping habits, the pensioner said his meticulous tracking of household expenditure was an ingrained habit developed during his career as a bank clerk. He further claimed that prior episodes of household conflict were the result of his wife's jealousy.
Court ruling and restraining orders
Judges at the Volos court rejected the pensioner's explanations, finding him guilty of domestic threat under Greek domestic violence statutes.
The court ruled that the defendant may remain free pending appeal, but only under strict legal conditions. Under the terms of the suspension, he is subject to a restraining order that prohibits him from approaching or communicating with his wife and children.
Volos, a coastal port city situated in the Magnesia regional unit of Thessaly, is governed under Greek criminal procedures where first-instance misdemeanour courts handle domestic violence offences with enforceable protective orders for family members.
