Filenews 7 April 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
Prison sentences of two years for a 55-year-old man and 14 months for a 37-year-old man were imposed today by the Pafos District Court in the case of the theft, last January, of the bronze statue "The girl with the hula-hoop". A 42-year-old woman who was found guilty of involvement in the case was immediately referred to the "Agia Skepi" Foundation to join a closed rehabilitation program.
The Pafos District Court imposed concurrent prison sentences of more than two years on the 55-year-old on charges of theft, malicious damage and conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor. The 37-year-old, who is the person who destroyed the bronze artwork, will serve 14 months in prison for the act.
In the unprecedented case, another person is implicated on charges of theft, which is expected to stand trial at a later stage.
The "Girl with the houla-hoop", created by artist Yiota Ioannidou, was placed in a public place next to Ibrahim's Inn, in the Paphos shopping centre. Days after the theft and after police investigations the statue was sold for €85 to a scrap dealer, most of its parts were found dumped in a field in Tremithousa.
The Court's ruling states that the total destruction of the bronze statue undoubtedly caused "unpleasant feelings, anguish and sadness, not only to its creator but also to the financier of the work, since it depicted his little daughter".
The "unacceptable acts and actions of the accused", especially of the 55-year-old who had a leading role, are directed not only against the creator, but also against all citizens residing in the city of Pafos, as the sculpture was placed by the sculptor with the assistance of the Pafos Municipality in a prominent position in a square and in front of a playground in the centre of the old town.
The Court also held that a prison sentence was the only appropriate one in the circumstances, and this, it said, bearing in mind that it was imposed only where any other sentence would undoubtedly be inappropriate and inadequate.
