Lawyer Andreas Theodoropoulos was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday 30 September in Voula, following allegations of verbal and physical abuse against his underage son, and was released a few hours later on the verbal orders of the public prosecutor. He has denied everything from the outset. He spoke twice on his personal TikTok account and appeared alongside his wife on Star TV’s programme ‘First Coffee with Zina’. Below is exactly what he claims.
His name is no stranger to Artemida. Andreas Theodoropoulos stood as a candidate for municipal councillor in the Municipality of Spata–Artemida in the local elections of October 2023 and was presented at the time as a resident of Artemida. He was not elected and currently holds no office within the municipality.
What is attributed to him
The complaint was lodged on the evening of Tuesday 29 September at the Domestic Violence Unit of the Alimos Police Station, by a third party who witnessed a live broadcast on TikTok with the microphone left on. The unit initiated proceedings ex officio for domestic bodily harm and domestic offence against sexual dignity, offences under Articles 6 and 9 of Law 3500/2006.
‘The audio is an AI-generated product’
The crux of his defence is that the material in question is not genuine. “The audio is an AI-generated product,” he stated on his Star TV programme, insisting that “no such incident ever took place”. In his first post on TikTok, he had spoken of a ‘huge lie’ and said that “a video had been uploaded slandering me and defaming me, claiming that I was allegedly abusing my child”.
‘The children weren’t even there’
The second part is an alibi. He claims that at the time the incident is alleged to have taken place, the children were not at home: ‘My children were at their lessons at that time, and their mother had taken them there’. His wife publicly confirmed this version of events, saying that ‘no one can dispute that the children were with me’ and that ‘I have recorded this on my mobile phone and it is available for you to see’.
‘I have irrefutable witnesses’
He cites footage that he claims already exists as evidence. “I have irrefutable witnesses: the cameras, the tuition centre’s cameras,” he said. His wife stated that ‘there are four cameras in the house’ and that ‘the camera records our return’. He also maintains that the video that was released has been edited and that the rest of it proves him right: “Do you know what the rest of the video shows? It shows me switching on my mobile phone’s camera.” He has stated that he will hand over the full footage to the police.
‘It’s a set-up’
The final point concerns the motive. “I am involved in a legal dispute and the case was set up,” he said, attributing the complaint to an opponent of his in a pending case. In a second video, he named a specific individual as being responsible for the ‘smear campaign’ against him — iartemida.gr does not reproduce the name, as this individual has not been called upon to respond and is not facing any charges. Theodoropoulos announced that he would be taking legal action, saying to those he holds responsible: ‘You will certainly be punished; be aware of that.’ Regarding the arrest, he commented that “I wasn’t hiding anywhere” and that the officer in charge “realised it was a false accusation”.
What has not yet been decided
All of the above are allegations made by the accused and have not been verified. The case file remains open and the matter will follow the prescribed legal procedure; until then, the presumption of innocence applies. If, on the other hand, it is proven that the complaint was false, false accusation is itself a separate offence.
A claim regarding artificial intelligence cannot be judged by ear. It transforms the audio into a subject of expert assessment, and for this to happen, the original file with its metadata is required — when it was created, on which device, whether it has been modified — and, where possible, the copy held by the platform itself. The file circulated in reposts is not sufficient: it has been copied and compressed, and with each step exactly those traces that would answer the question are lost.
Who can contact Artemida
The complaint does not have to be made by the victim or a relative. Crimes of domestic violence are prosecuted ex officio: as soon as the police receive the information, they initiate proceedings on their own initiative, as was the case here.
- Spata–Artemida Police Station, 3 Spyrou Markou, Spata — duty officer 210 6632771. For an incident in progress, 100.
- SOS Helpline 15900 — available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for incidents of gender-based and domestic violence.
- National Children’s Helpline 1056 and the European helpline 116111 run by ‘The Smile of the Child’, free of charge, 24 hours a day.
Sources: statements by Andreas Theodoropoulos on the programme ‘First Coffee with Zina’ (Star) and in his TikTok posts, as reported by newsbeast.gr, protothema.gr and koutipandoras.gr (30/09/2026). Arrest details: enikos.gr and lawandorder.gr (30/09/2026). 2023 candidacy: iRafina (4 September 2023) and zougla.gr (6 October 2023). Contact details for the Spata–Artemida Police Station from the Hellenic Police website.
