CRIME ROUND UP

 Filenews 26 October 2023

Members of the Anti-Narcotics Service – YKAN arrested a 28-year-old man yesterday in Larnaka, after he was found in possession of a quantity of cannabis weighing one kilogram and 869 grams, as well as a sum of money amounting to 8,300 euros, the origin of which is being investigated.

The 28-year-old suspect was taken into custody, with the YKAN investigating a case of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Specifically, shortly after 4.00 yesterday afternoon, members of the YKAN stopped for inspection the 28-year-old, who was travelling in a car he was driving, on a rural road in the district of Larnaka. The 28-year-old tried to escape control, as a result of which the car he was driving collided with two official police vehicles and stopped at the scene. Immediately after the collision, he fled by running, but the members of the YKAN stopped him nearby. Two nylon packages containing 1kg and about 600g of cannabis were found in his possession.

After the 28-year-old was arrested by the members of the YKAN for flagrant offenses, his residence was searched, during which he handed over to the members of the Police, ten more nylon packages with cannabis, with a total gross weight of 269 grams, a sum of money of 8,300 euros, which is being investigated if it is related to drug trafficking, and two precision scales.

The examinations continue from the district unit of YKAN in Larnaka.

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Miraculously, the wife of a businesswoman was spared, in whose house a powerful explosion occurred at 02:45 in the morning in the area of Aradippou in Larnaka, causing great damage.

According to philenews, the woman was on the couch at the time of the explosion and fortunately was not injured. On the upper floor of the house slept the 50-year-old and their daughter, who were also shocked by the powerful explosion.

The explosion ejected the entrance door of the house and severely damaged the living room. The 50-year-old told police they did not suspect anyone.

Searches at the scene were carried out by members of the Forensic Department of the Police Headquarters who collected evidence in order to ascertain the type of explosive device placed at the entrance of the house.

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With a slap in the face to the state, the Juvenile Court in Larnaka points out the gap in the existence of child detention facilities, as well as other procedures provided for by law, two and a half years after its enactment.

"The law on children in conflict with the law of 2021 remained, due to the omissions of the state, to be just a 'piece of paper', which, however, because it has legislative force, instead of helping in the proper administration of justice, essentially derails and circumvents it," the Larnaca Children's Court emphatically points out in its decision last Monday.

The defendant, now aged approximately 18 2023/18 years, had admitted that between January and April 13, when he was a minor, he committed serious criminal offences of a sexual nature against other minors.

In its judgment, the Court pointed out that not only are the offences committed by the accused person among the most serious offences of a sexual nature existing in the Cypriot legal system, hence the maximum penalty provided for in relation to them by the respective Law is life imprisonment, but also that the specific circumstances under which these offences were committed were highly aggravating since there were, inter alia, a number of different examples of minor victims and videotaping of incidents. Having taken all this into account, the Court held that the only appropriate penalty in the circumstances was imprisonment, the duration of which, however, could not exceed the limit of 10 years laid down by law.

However, to the surprise of the Court, it was stated before it that the special place for the detention of children required by law to exist has not yet been created and approved. "In other words, despite the fact that it was held by the Children's Court that this accused person should be given a sentence of detention (imprisonment), nevertheless the Law enacted by the state to govern such cases, currently precludes, as a result of the existing data, the imposition of such a sentence. The Court necessarily turned its attention to the other penalties allowed by the Law to be imposed, whereupon it was found, again to its surprise, that almost all the alternative penalties provided for could not be imposed since the activation of their execution requires the issuance of relevant Regulations and Decrees by the House of Representatives and the competent ministers. something that has not been done to date." In the end, the Court, without any other options, imposed on the defendant:

(a) issuance of an order for community supervision for a period of 3 years, (b) referral of the accused person to the Authority for the Supervision of Persons Convicted of Offences of a Sexual Nature against Minors for a period of 3 years and (c) an additional decree prohibiting the association or going to any place frequented by children under 13 years of age, violation of which will constitute a new offense punishable by 5 years imprisonment and/or a €170,000 fine.

Finally, the Court expressed the following concern to the competent bodies: "The present case and the data mentioned above that surround it, unfortunately show that although the effort that began to be made with the enactment of Law 55(I)/21 concerned the "... The establishment of a child-friendly justice system in conflict with the law, in the end this law remained, due to the omissions of the state, to be just a "piece of paper". This is something that should seriously concern all competent bodies and the only thing we can do as a Children's Court is to call on the state to meet its obligations in this regard as soon as possible."

It is noted that the proceedings were held behind closed doors for the purpose of protecting the identity of children.

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Pafos Live

Action in the eastern regions of Cyprus by the Game and Fauna Service. Eleven persons have been reported in the last ten days by members of the Service for cases related to the illegal trapping of wild birds. Of these cases, a total of the following have been seized:

5 wild bird capture networks, 622 limesticks, 6 wild bird chirping devices, 28 dead wild birds while another 17 trapped wild birds were released.

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