A 28-year-old Greek man was recently convicted of causing a disturbance by repeatedly trespassing on his neighbours and smelling their shoes
The unnamed man was arrested on October 8th after one of his neighbours in Sindos, a small town about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Thessaloniki, spotted him in their yard just before dawn sniffing the shoes they had left outside to air.
This was not the man’s first time trespassing on private property for the same bizarre reason, so the neighbour called the police.
Upon hearing the 28-year-old man’s explanation and the testimony of one of the neighbours, the Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Thessaloniki issued a suspended sentence of one month in prison, with three years of probation.
“I do not know exactly how I came to do this act. I feel very ashamed and disappointed in myself. I can’t explain it. I will ask for support to see what is happening and not to make it worse,” the 28-year-old man told the Court, adding that he trespassed on his neighbour’s property three times in order to smell their shoes for reasons he couldn’t explain.
The accused acknowledged his guilt and apologised for his actions, adding that he never meant to harm anyone through his actions.
His neighbours confirmed that he never acted violently towards them, but they still felt bothered by his bizarre behaviour.
“I got upset and went to the police,” the neighbour who notified the police said in Court. “I was told to call 911 when I spotted him doing it. I stayed vigilant for three days and as soon as I saw him in the morning, I notified the police and he was arrested.
“We caught him in the act. He didn’t show any aggressive behaviour, he immediately understood what he was doing, he didn’t have any aggressive behaviour. When another neighbour asked him why he was doing it, he replied: ‘because it makes my life better’. I just want to help him and stop this act.”
The 60-year-old neighbour who filed the complaint against their young neighbour smelling their shoes told the Court that he had spotted the defendant three times on their property, adding that other neighbours had caught him sniffing their shoes over the last six months.
“I know it’s some kind of illness and I’m going to do everything to get well,” the man reportedly told the police officers who arrested him.