Afghan boxer remanded in Athens over death of Scottish woman

Athens, Greece. A Greek court ordered a 26-year-old Afghan boxer to remain in custody pending trial after he declined to enter a plea over the death of Scottish woman Elisabeth Jane Ross, legal and police sources said.

The suspect faces charges of manslaughter, robbery and illegal gun possession. He exercised his right to remain silent as toxicology results are pending.

Body found in suitcase

Ross, 38, was a certified psychotherapist and volunteer aid worker. Her body was found on July 18 in a suitcase at an abandoned construction site in Athens, three days after she was reported missing.

Police arrested the suspect on Sunday. Officials described him as a professional boxer from Afghanistan who had been granted asylum in Greece.

Police account and post-mortem findings

The suspect has denied wrongdoing, police officials said. He told police earlier that he found Ross’ body in an apartment bathroom, panicked, put it in a suitcase and attempted to dispose of it.

A post-mortem examination could not establish the cause of death because of decomposition, although those who prepared the report did not rule out asphyxiation, a police source said.