A former Royal Marine has found himself leading the way for change following the brutal death of a British mum abroad.
Matthew Lodge, from Crosby, is the UK Ambassador to Greece and has now signed off funding for visits by Greek officials to the UK for training that will help them when responding to domestic violence or serious sexual assault cases. A group of Greek delegates landed in the UK last week and have been sent across the country to attend domestic violence workshops.
Dad-of-two Matthew was a Royal Marine for almost 10 years before joining the Foreign Office in 1996. He served as Ambassador to Finland and Kuwait and also Deputy Ambassador to France before being appointed to his current role in Athens last August.
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This comes almost a year after the death of British national Caroline Crouch in front of her 11-month-old baby. Husband Babis Anagnostopoulos is currently on trial accused of her murder after he claimed the family had been targeted by burglars. Matthew, 53, who now lives in Athens said: "Greece has increasingly embraced a culture of zero tolerance to gender-based violence in recent years and these visits are a clear demonstration of this progress.
“The willingness of authorities across Greece to work with the British Embassy on this topic makes us optimistic for the future. All of this work should help make British holidaymakers, and ex-pats living in Greece, feel safer and better supported.”
The funding comes from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) which also found that just under 1,000 British nationals reported being raped or sexually assaulted between 2016 and 2018. From the start of 2016 to the end of 2018, the FDCO found that most sexual assaults were reported in Spain with at least 218. In Greece, there were at least 74, Turkey, at least 68, Thailand, at least 41 and France, at least 40.
Matthew said: “We are determined to do anything we can to help survivors of rape and sexual assaults by showcasing the survivor-focussed approach used in the UK. I think the Greek authorities should be applauded for their willingness to work together with us as they strive to improve the way these exceptionally difficult cases are handled.
“A Greek delegation including a Deputy Prosecutor, four police officers and two psychologists recently visited Scotland to get an insight into how gender-based violence is handled. They met experts from the Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre, as well as officials from Police Scotland, the National Sexual Crimes Unit and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
“People can be proud that the Greek authorities are using the UK’s expertise, to shape the way they deal with these sorts of cases in future.”
