Pafos Live 24 July 2024
A fight on a construction site led to the injury of a foreign worker. Around 1300, the Police were informed of an incident with serious injury to a person, in a building under renovation on A. Anastasias Street in K. Paphos.
According to the police, work is being carried out on the building by a private contractor to convert it into a museum.
Around 1250, a 55-year-old Greek Cypriot attacked and beat a 48-year-old foreigner of Arab origin on the head. The two persons are employees of the contracting company and were employed together inside the building. The cause of the incident was a remark made by the 48-year-old to the 55-year-old because he was procrastinating at work.
Soon after, the 55-year-old fled the place in his car. On departure he crashed into another parked car, but continued his course.
The 48-year-old was taken by ambulance to Paphos General Hospital and was found to have a traumatic wound to his left temple. His state of health is considered stable. He was detained for hospitalization and monitoring.
The 55-year-old's car was later found abandoned on S. Markides Street in Paphos and taken to the police for examination.
The 55-year-old is being investigated in a case of Acts of Serious Bodily Harm and Injury and a court arrest warrant has been issued against him.
Update - Filenews
Police arrested today the 55-year-old man who had been wanted since yesterday afternoon on suspicion of the skeparni attack on a colleague at their workplace. The 55-year-old presented himself to the police and surrendered, was detained and presented before the District Court, which issued him a six-day detention order.
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Final decision by the Permanent Assize Court of Pafos in the Vrexi case. All defendants are innocent on the charge of murder.
Today 23/07/24 at noon, after a long hearing, the Pafos Permanent Assize Court announced its final decision in the Vrexi case, where 9 defendants were facing a charge of murder of Jamal Alhaji and other related offenses, different for each defendant.
The Assize Court, chaired by Mr. Droussiotis and represented by Mr. Kyriakides and Mrs. Ch'Georgiou, unanimously decided that none of the defendants can be found guilty on the charge of murder, since the prosecution, represented by the senior lawyer of the Republic, Mr. Andreas Ch'Kyrou, failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the constituent elements of this offense. It found defendants 2, 3, 7 and 8 guilty of other charges, including kidnapping for grievous bodily harm, interfering with a court proceeding and destroying evidence, and conspiracy. Defendants 1 and 9 had been acquitted at an early stage of the proceedings due to psychological problems and failure to execute an arrest warrant that had been issued, while defendants 5 and 6 were acquitted of the charges they faced since, according to the testimony, they were not physically present at the time in question.
The prosecution had called 12 witnesses and a total of 452 pieces of evidence were submitted during the hearing.
The lawyers of the defendants, Mr. Christos Demetriou for the 2nd, Mrs. Katerina Sofocleous for 3, the criminal lawyer Dr. Artemis Savvidou for 7 and Mrs. Myria Savvidou for 8, asked for time to plead for mitigation of the criminal in the charges where their clients were found guilty and the court set the case on 31/07/24 at 09:30 for speeches for mitigation of the sentence and imposition of sentence with instructions that until then the defendants remain in custody.
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Pafos Press
The Paphos Police arrested four minors to facilitate investigations on Tuesday for an investigation of a vehicle theft case.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos Operations, Michalis Nikolaou, for the theft of a vehicle committed on July 19, the Paphos Police secured arrest warrants against the four, based on testimony that emerged.
It is a 14-year-old person, two 16-year-old persons and a 17-year-old person who admitted guilt during interrogation and were subsequently released. The above case will be brought before the Attorney General regarding the further handling of the case, he concluded.
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The District Court of Paphos on Tuesday imposed an 18-month prison sentence on a 44-year-old permanent resident of Cyprus who has been found guilty of burglary.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos Operations Michalis Nikolaou, the sentences are concurrent with a longer sentence of 18 months. The offense was committed in May 2024, he said.
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Filenews
The arrest of a young man, who appears to have stolen a woman's wallet from her home and used her bank card, proceeded today to the ICF of Limassol.
According to the Police, today at around 11:00 a 65-year-old woman reported to the ICF of Limassol that while she was at her home in the area of Agios Nikolaos, she received a message on her mobile phone that her bank card was used for purchases at a kiosk in the area. He immediately searched for her wallet, which had been placed in the kitchen of her home and then found that it had been stolen. In her wallet was her card as well as the amount of €50.
Following a complaint, members of the ICF of Limassol went to the area for on-site examinations as well as to the kiosk where the complainant's card was used for a sum of €107.50.
The members of the ICF Limassol while in the area, spotted a suspicious person aged 27, whose description matched that of the person who had used the stolen card at the kiosk previously. The suspect was taken to the ICF of Limassol where, under questioning, he confessed that he used the complainant's card and made various allegations that are being investigated. He was arrested on a court warrant and taken into custody.
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Another case with implications linked to terrorism is being handled by the Republic of Cyprus.
Yesterday, an application was registered at the Nicosia District Court for the extradition of a 35-year-old holder of a Russian passport originating from Chechnya.
As "F" is informed, his arrest was made within the day before yesterday by the Cyprus Police on the basis of an arrest warrant and a red notice issued by the Russian Federation.
The procedure for the commencement of the hearing of the case by the Nicosia District Court was set for September 2. Until then, the person in question will be detained.
From United Nations
The 35-year-old was in the occupied areas. Our information indicates that following prior consultations, the person in question was handed over to the Cyprus Police the day before yesterday by the United Nations through a barricade. The case is being handled by the ICF Headquarters.
'Terrorism issues'
According to a source of "F", "an international arrest warrant issued by the Russian authorities on terrorism issues is pending against the person in question." He added that the 35-year-old is alleged to have participated in military groups in violation of the Russian criminal code.
Another information source told F that the person in question was alleged by the Russians to have been part of a radical Islamist group, which has been declared internationally as terrorist, with armed activity in the Middle East.
The person in question was allegedly trafficked in recent months to a well-known Arab country, then went to Turkey and finally ended up in the occupied areas, from where he was handed over to the Cyprus Police. The latter placed him under arrest on the basis of a warrant.
In the occupied areas
After all, the 35-year-old was reportedly arrested in the occupied area last December. Local news websites reported at the time that the suspect was wanted by the Russian Federation as a member of ISIS, while suggesting that Russia was trying to recruit fighters.
Legal battle
However, the 35-year-old is expected to fight a legal battle to prevent his extradition to Russia. Already, reports indicate that his defence has been undertaken by a Greek Cypriot lawyer.
Under the law, until the start of the procedure for examining his extradition, documents relating to the international and local arrest warrant, as well as the facts on the basis of which the suspect is sought by the Russian Federation, must be handed over to the Court. The competent Minister (of Justice) is also involved in the procedure, since in such cases his consent is required. Fugitives are extradited to third countries on the basis of bilateral conventions between countries.
On September 2, the line taken by the 35-year-old's lawyer from Chechnya is expected to become apparent.
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Handcuffs to a 22-year-old driver in Limassol, who not only ran twice the allowed speed limit, but also did not have a registration certificate.
Members of the Police, according to an announcement, while conducting traffic checks, stopped today at dawn on the bypass road of Agios Athanasios in Limassol, a car, which was traveling at a speed of 167 km per hour instead of 80 km per hour, which is the permissible limit.
The examinations that followed revealed that the driver of the vehicle was a young man, aged 22, who was driving without a registration certificate, resulting in his arrest for flagrant offences. The exams are continued by the Limassol Traffic Police
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A total of 57 cases involving thefts of bathers possessions on various beaches in Cyprus are being investigated by the Police, according to the Corps' spokesman, Christos Andreou. Police, he said, have made 11 arrests since the beginning of the summer.
Mr. Andreou, speaking to CNA, noted that the cases concern the period May 1 to July 22, 2024 and that most thefts are located in Larnaca.
43 thefts in Larnaca
Specifically, he said that in Larnaka, 43 thefts from beaches were recorded and 8 persons were arrested. One person out of eight, according to Christos Andreou, tried to steal twice in the same week.
In addition, in Famagusta 6 cases were investigated and 2 persons were arrested, in Limassol 7 cases and one arrest of a 53-year-old man, while in Paphos one case was investigated but no arrests were made.
Special operations with police officers under cover
The police, Andreou said, took various actions and took measures to make it possible to arrest the perpetrators.
It carries out special operations with police officers under cover on beaches, where there have been increased cases of thefts to bathers.
He added that in many cases members of the Police spotted people stealing in the act, while in others they were informed by citizens.
No valuables on the beach
Lately, the Police often make recommendations to the public.
Through announcements on social media, the Police calls on citizens to avoid carrying valuables on beaches, to have only the necessary amount of money with them, not to leave their property unattended and to cooperate with other bathers or excursionists for its surveillance.
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New data are being created in the trial of the 45-year-old alleged perpetrator of the brutal murder of Charalambos Konstantinidis, 52, from Paralimni, on June 25 in Ormidia.
The defendant appeared again in the morning before the Court of the British Bases in Dhekelia and said that he wishes to be tried in the Bases and not by a court of the Republic of Cyprus. The case was set for August 1 for the 45-year-old to answer whether or not he pleads guilty to the charge of premeditated murder. His intention, as reported, is to plead guilty to the charge he faces.
This despite the fact that, according to information from BB, the accused in his interrogation statement had admitted to committing the murder. The 45-year-old allegedly fired two shots at the victim, wounding him in the face, and then beating him with an iron on his head and other parts of his body.
The cause of the fight, according to BB's testimonies, was wages demanded by the 52-year-old from the confessed offender for the help he provided at the car paint shop.
It is recalled that the murder was committed on the evening of Tuesday, June 25, at the 45-year-old's car paint shop in Ormidia. BB police were alerted by a local resident, who said he heard two gunshots and saw the 45-year-old at the scene. Patrol cars rushed to the scene, but the alleged attacker fled in a car that was in the garage and surrendered to authorities the next day.
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