Filenews 24 May 2023 - by Ioanna Mantzipia
The trial of the high-profile case of the 67-year-old defendant for the deadly fire that broke out on Saturday, July 3, 2021, from the village of Arakapas and resulted in its expansion to eight other communities has been completed. The fiery tongues burned houses, businesses, premises, animals, farms, while four workers died horribly in the village of Odos in Larnaka district.
The Limassol Permanent Assize Court found the 67-year-old guilty of the charges he faces. These are the offences of setting fire to a plantation and lighting a fire in the open air.
In its judgment, the Assize Court stated that the defendant set fire maliciously, recklessly and deliberately. According to the facts, the accused after setting fire left the spot and went to a café - kiosk where he would report to another person that reeds were burning. He then departed to drink a second coffee at a café in Eptagonia. He noted that the Prosecution succeeded in proving the case
The court ordered that the accused remain in custody until May 31, when the procedure for sentencing was set.
Upon hearing the verdict, the defendant's daughter burst into tears.
