A 49-year-old priest was arrested on Sunday, accused of domestic violence after he allegedly punched a 45-year-old woman he was reportedly in a relationship with.

According to the woman, she had gone out for fun with the priest, and on their way back home, they started arguing in the car. The argument continued at home, with the priest allegedly hitting her.

The 49-year-old priest, who serves as the parish priest in a church in a large village in the mountainous area of Ilia, left early on Sunday morning to go to the church. It was then that the woman found the strength to go to the hospital, where she received necessary care, and later reported the priest to the Ilia Police Directorate.

The 45-year-old woman told the police that the priest hit her in the face and even grabbed and broke her mobile phone to prevent her from contacting anyone.

According to patrisnews, this was not the first time the woman had reported the priest. Last summer, a similar incident occurred between the couple, and the woman filed charges against the priest, only to later withdraw them.

The Priest and the 45-Year-Old Woman Came to an Agreement The priest’s case eventually moved to a criminal mediation process. Yesterday, he was charged with domestic violence and threats and was referred to trial in the Ilia District Court. During the trial, the victim also appeared in court, and they reached a form of compromise.

This is a process followed for crimes of domestic violence, which are prosecuted as misdemeanors. In the case of the accused priest, the conditions for applying this process were met, including his remorse and acknowledgment of his actions, as well as his assurance that he would not commit the same offense again against the victim.

The penalty for the accused will be determined by the Prosecutor of the Ilia Court of First Instance within 15 days, as provided by law.