THESSALONIKI – A Thessaloniki Misdemeanours Court on Wednesday handed down a five-year prison sentence, suspended for three years, and a 10,000-euro fine to former television presenter Stathis Panagiotopoulos, who was found guilty of posting sexually explicit images of a former girlfriend on the internet without her permission or knowledge.

Based on the terms of his sentence, Panagiotopoulos is forbidden to leave the country and must appear at a police station near his place of residence once a month, while he will also be monitored by a social worker.

The court declined to convert the charge to a criminal offence so that it might be tried at a higher level, finding that there was no evidence to support this, but imposed the maximum possible sentence for the specific misdemeanour.

Panagiotopoulos, 59, did not attend the hearing and was represented by his lawyers. He also faces criminal charges in connection with two similar incidents reported by former partners. After his testimony to an examining magistrate in these cases, he was released on bail and with restrictions.