Lawyer accused of beating wife denies fabricating assault narrative

A criminal lawyer accused of brutally assaulting his 37-year-old wife denied on Tuesday that he had claimed that his wife fell down the stairs.

"I didn't make up the narrative that my wife fell down the stairs; she chose to tell that version to protect our children," Apostolos Lytras, 52, said in a statement, and claimed that the assault was a one-time incident. He also said that he has sought counseling to understand what led to his behavior.

"I understand that people are enraged, having witnessed me challenging any form of violence for months, and now they see me as an offender of the same violence I condemned," he continued.

State broadcaster ERT released the 37-year-old victim's testimony on Monday. The woman, who is also a lawyer, said that her husband punched her in the head inside his locked car and took her phone to prevent her from using the panic...