A 28-year-old man from Greece has recently been found guilty of creating a disturbance by repeatedly trespassing on his neighbors’ property to smell their shoes.
The incident occurred on October 8th when one of the residents in Sindos, a small town located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Thessaloniki, caught the man in their yard at dawn, inhaling the scent of shoes that had been left outside to dry.
This was not the first occurrence of his strange behavior; the neighbor decided to call the police after witnessing him trespass again.
Following the man’s explanation and a neighbor’s testimony, the Thessaloniki Single-Member Misdemeanor Court issued a suspended one-month prison sentence, along 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 neighbor’s property three times in order to smell their shoes for reasons he couldn’t explain.
The accused acknowledged his guilt and apologized for his actions, adding that he never meant to harm anyone through his actions. His neighbors confirmed that he never acted violently towards them, but they still felt bothered by his bizarre behavior.
“I got upset and went to the police,” the neighbor 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.
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He didn’t show any aggressive behavior; he immediately understood what he was doing. When another neighbor 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 neighbor who filed the complaint against their young neighbor smelling their shoes told the Court that he had spotted the defendant three times on their property, adding that other neighbors 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.
