Man convicted of killing Scottish mum in Crete walks free as family wait for appeal

A man convicted of killing a Scottish mum almost two decades ago has walked free from court as her family waits for an appeal to take place.

The body of 53-year-old Jean Hanlon, from Dumfries, was recovered from the water at Heraklion harbour in Crete in March 2009.

Authorities on the island initially ruled her death an accidental drowning, but her family suspected foul play and called for the investigation to be reopened.

Following years of campaigning, Greek authorities agreed to reopen the case in 2024 and arrested a man in his 50s the following year in connection with her death.

The Greek, who was convicted on July 3, cannot be named under the country’s laws.

The man, who was known to Jean, was charged with ‘murder with intent in a calm mental state’ and went on trial on June 30, 2026. He repeatedly denied causing her death.

The court recognised the defendant’s diminished responsibility, under Article 36 of the Greek criminal code, due to his mental health. This means he will be given a reduced sentence.

One month following the verdict, the man remains free as Jean’s sons, Michael, Robert and David, await the result of an appeal.

Michael said: “I don’t think any of us expected the outcome.

“So it’s still trying to process that. We knew going into the trial, whatever the outcome was, we finally had to say that we would have to deal with it.

“To get that (guilty verdict) was amazing, but now having to wait for the appeal. It is physically draining.”

Evidence suggests Jean went to Heraklion with a man and had drinks at a bar near the harbour on the night she was killed.

Text messages sent from her phone to friends implied she did not want to stay at the marina with the man, but did not indicate she was in fear for her life.

She asked her friends to join them, but they failed to respond. One of her text messages read: “Help”.

Jean Hanlon's three sons were in Crete to watch the trial of the man accused of her murder last month — Jean Hanlon’s three sons were in Crete to watch the trial of the man accused of her murder last month ITV

The Public Prosecutor said in her closing statement that when Jean died, a “proper investigation” was not initially carried out by the authorities.

Jean’s three sons gave evidence at the start of the trial, describing how close they were to their mother.

They also referred to a diary their mum kept, in which the accused was named.

In it, Jean claims the man would not leave her alone and would continually pursue a relationship she did not wish to continue.

Robert added: “I always had this thing in my head that as long as she didn’t suffer.

“We always knew about the injuries and how they would have come about, but it was the fact that someone was able to give their professional opinion and break it down into a confirmed scenario of how it played out.

“From that day of that getting mentioned, from that night onwards, I may have had a couple of hours, three hours sleep, broken up most nights.”

Jean’s three sons are now waiting for an appeal date to be set.