CRIME ROUND UP

 Pafos Live 11 June 2024

Pafos Police arrested a 25-year-old man to facilitate investigations into an investigated case of arson of hay bales, threat and resistance to lawful arrest, assault on a police officer and escape.

According to Paphos Assistant Police Director of Operations Michalis Nicolaou, on Saturday at 23:00 in the evening, a fire broke out in a pile of hay bales in the village area of Polis Chrysochous owned by a 56-year-old Turkish Cypriot.  The fire destroyed 151 bales of hay with a total value of €18,875 and during the investigations and examinations carried out, mainly the next day with the cooperation of the fire brigade, it emerged that the fire was set maliciously.

As Mr. Nicolaou told CNA in the evening during the outbreak of the fire and while a member of the Police was there, a 25-year-old who lives in the area and was located at the place, was considered suspicious and when called by the police officer who was there for control purposes, the young man who was allegedly intoxicated,  resisted the check, made threats and was arrested for a flagrant offence.

Nicolaou added that the 25-year-old resisted and eventually managed to escape. An arrest warrant was issued against him both on suspicion of arson of hay bales, but also for the offences he committed in the presence of the police officer, namely anxiety in a state of drunkenness, threat and resistance to lawful arrest, assault on a police officer and escape.

After examinations, the police proceeded to arrest the 25-year-old yesterday in Paphos.

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The Pafos Permanent Assize Court today imposed concurrent prison sentences of a maximum of 12 years on a defendant who pleaded guilty to importing, possessing and possessing with intent to supply 28 kilos of cannabis and money laundering, i.e. €1,470.00.

According to an announcement by the Permanent Assize Court, which meets in Pafos for the purpose of imposing the above sentences, account was taken, inter alia, of the immediate admission of the accused, his remorse, his personal circumstances, his clean criminal record and the fact that he cooperated with the Police in order to identify persons who, unlike him, had leading role in the whole operation of importing drugs into Cyprus.

As a result of this cooperation, he inevitably put himself in potential danger, an element which, as the jurisprudence stipulates, should be taken into account at the sentencing stage, concludes the Pafos Assize Court.

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Pafos Press

The Paphos Police proceeded to the arrest of two persons, in order to facilitate the investigations for an investigated case of illegal possession of narcotics.

According to Paphos Assistant Police Director of Operations Michalis Nikolaou, on Monday, at 17:45, members of the Z team of the Paphos Traffic Police stopped a car in the Geroskipou area for a check, which was driven by a 23-year-old man with a 26-year-old passenger.

Mr Nikolaou reported to KYPE that a search of the car revealed a quantity of cannabis weighing 17.5 grams, which the 23 year old driver claimed belonged to him, and was subsequently arrested for the crime of illegal drug possession.

Subsequently, in searches carried out in their residences with their written consents, nothing was found in the 23-year-old's residence, but a quantity of cannabis weighing 1.5 grams was found in the 26-year-old's residence.

The two persons were taken to the YCAN offices [Klimakio Paphos] where they were interrogated, accused in writing and released to be summoned later.

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Filenews

After almost two months, the four defendants, aged 41, 44, 22 and 21, appeared before the Limassol Permanent Assize Court in connection with the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, committed on the morning of October 30, 2023 in a parking lot of a seaside restaurant in Limassol.

During today's proceedings, the representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office asked the Assize Court to postpone the trial, explaining that the decision concerning the application for a sertiary in relation to telecommunications data is pending before the Supreme Court. He also noted that additional material is expected to be provided by the investigator of the case, which should also be given to the defense.

The representative of the Prosecution pointed out that visual footage intended to assist the trial of the case will be presented during the proceedings. In addition to the above, he referred to the evidence, saying that they number around 280, while noting that there is common ground on the part of the defense lawyers of the accused, to proceed with some admissible facts.

The Assize Court granted the request for adjournment, noting that there are 126 prosecution witnesses in the present case. The Court set the proceedings for 8, 9, 10 and 11 October 2024. It also ordered that the accused remain in custody as undertrials.

It is recalled that all four defendants in the previous proceedings pleaded not guilty to the charges relating to the offences of conspiracy to murder, premeditated murder, possession, transport and use of a category A and B firearm, possession, transport and use and possession of explosives, arson of a vehicle and theft.

It should be noted that the 12 charges concern the three defendants while the 13th concerns only the 22-year-old for the offense of aiding and abetting after committing. It is noted that the charges include the offence of Article 20 of the Penal Code Cap. 154, which concerns instigation.

Once again in court there were draconian security measures.