A case that initially appeared to be a premeditated attempted murder ended with the arrest of the very person who presented himself as the victim. The case involves a 50-year-old man who had been involved in a domestic violence case in Rhodes in May. This time, he appeared before authorities describing a horrific incident. The account he provided was sufficient to suggest a serious felony. However, subsequent investigations revealed that none of what he reported had occurred in the way he described.

According to information from “Dimokratiki”, authorities were notified in the early hours of June 24, 2026, about a man who had been transferred to the Emergency Department of the hospital with burns. When police officers arrived on site, they confirmed it was the 50-year-old.

During questioning, he described a highly violent attack. He claimed that around 7:40 a.m., while he was in an open parking area, two unknown assailants immobilised him at knifepoint. He further alleged that they doused him with a flammable substance, most likely petrol, and then set him on fire using a flame, causing his injuries. He also stated that the perpetrators fled in a white van-type vehicle.

He “pointed to” his ex-partner

What gave the complaint particular weight was not only the brutality of the alleged attack, but the name he allegedly identified as the instigator. He claimed that the two unknown attackers told him, before fleeing, that they were acting on behalf of his ex-partner—the same person involved in the May domestic violence case.

In this way, the 50-year-old was effectively attempting to portray his ex-partner as the moral instigator of an attempted murder against him. Had it been confirmed, the allegation would have placed the woman at the centre of an extremely serious criminal case involving felony charges.

The investigation, the video evidence, and the collapse of the story

The investigation led to a completely different conclusion. Through a detailed preliminary inquiry, use of information, on-site inspection of the alleged scene, and thorough review of video material collected, police officers reached findings that fully overturned the initial complaint.

It was established that the attack by two unknown individuals never took place. Instead, investigators found that the 50-year-old had inflicted the burns on himself and had knowingly provided false information, while also falsely accusing another person—his ex-partner—of a crime she did not commit.

Confession and arrest

Under the weight of the evidence, his version of events collapsed. The 50-year-old reportedly admitted the charges against him, acknowledging that the story of a murderous attack had been fabricated. Thus, from a purported victim of an attempted homicide, he found himself facing justice as a defendant.

A case file was drawn up against him for false testimony and false accusation, which will be submitted to the relevant authorities. Following his arrest and upon oral order of the competent prosecutor, he was released, while a psychiatric evaluation was ordered.