Greek man gets 10-yr term for murder of Scottish woman

A man has been found guilty of murdering Scottish woman Jean Hanlon in Crete 17 years ago, but he remains free pending an appeal. The 54-year-old, who cannot be named under Greek law, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday, July 3, 2026, after a four-day trial at the Lasithi Law Courts in Neapoli.

The court recognized the defendant's diminished responsibility due to mental health conditions, which resulted in the reduced sentence. Under the Greek legal system, he will not begin serving his sentence until his appeal is exhausted, a process his family fears could take up to 18 months.

Jean Hanlon, 53, from Dumfries, was found dead in the water at Heraklion harbour in March 2009. Greek authorities initially ruled her death an accidental drowning, a conclusion her three sons refused to accept. For years, they campaigned for a reinvestigation, eventually hiring a private investigator and pushing for a review of the evidence.

Their efforts led Greek authorities to reopen the case in 2024. The man, who was known to Hanlon, was arrested the following year. Prosecutors argued during the trial that the pair had a brief relationship at the start of 2009 and that the defendant refused...