Filenews 9 November 2024
Members of the Police proceeded on Friday night to arrest a 23-year-old man, as part of an investigation into a case of theft from a residence and a case of burglary of a residence. The two cases are being investigated by the ICF of Larnaca.
Specifically, around 1.30 after midnight, members of the Police rushed to an area in Larnaca, following information that a citizen had intercepted a suspicious person. In the area, they found the 23-year-old, as well as a second man aged 27.
According to a complaint filed by the 27-year-old, a few minutes earlier, inside his residence he spotted the 23-year-old, who fled. The 27-year-old followed him and intercepted him, with the 23-year-old allegedly pointing a knife and attacking the 27-year-old, hitting him on the body with his arms and legs.
During the check that the 23-year-old was subjected to, it was found by the members of the Police that a judicial arrest warrant had been issued against him, in relation to an investigated case of theft of property from a residence in Larnaca. The theft was committed on October 16. A mobile phone and a pair of glasses were stolen from the residence.
The 23-year-old was arrested under the court warrant and taken to Larnaca General Hospital, where he underwent medical examinations. After being discharged, he was detained for police examinations.
The 27-year-old also went to Larnaca General Hospital, who also underwent medical examinations and was subsequently discharged.
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With a fine of up to €2,800 and twenty days of suspended prison time, the 32-year-old Syrian defendant "came clean". He had almost killed an 80-year-old pedestrian while she was crossing a pedestrian crossing, leaving her injured on the street on the morning of November 1.
The case was registered yesterday before the Limassol District Court, with the defendant admitting the charges he faced. The charges included negligence in driving, leaving the scene of an accident with injured people without assistance, driving without a license and without insurance coverage, as well as failing to stop at a red light.
The Court, after admitting the accused, imposed on him a total fine of €2,800, 20 days of suspended imprisonment, and 3 months deprivation of a driving licence — a licence which, however, he does not hold.
It is recalled that the 32-year-old from Syria, driving recklessly and without a license, overtook cars, dragged the 80-year-old to a pedestrian crossing and then passed the traffic lights with a red light. The incident was recorded by photo-tagging cameras. The 80-year-old, who suffered serious injuries, was taken to a private hospital, where she was found to have a fractured wrist, retinal detachment and abrasions.
The 32-year-old's vehicle in front complied with the red light and the pedestrian began crossing the road from east to west.
The accident happened on the morning of November 1st on Nikos Pattichi Street. The Police, after being informed about the incident, visited the Limassol Traffic Department for examinations. From the written testimonies obtained and the CCTV footage of adjacent shops, the circumstances of the traffic accident were ascertained.
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The judge of the Limassol District Court, Kyriakos Georgiou, imposed today a 2-year prison sentence for the offence of extorting money by false representations on a 52-year-old man, who for about 1.5 years was wanted by the authorities and did not appear in the dock. Arrest warrants were pending against him and the Court decided to hold a trial to prove the case without his presence.
The case dates back to 2015, with the then 43-year-old defendant fraudulently extorting €30,000 from a complainant who had promised to help him sell his home. According to the facts of the case, the defendant, extorted money on the pretext of paying lawyers' fees and personal fees for restructuring loans of the complainant.
The case, after the complaint to the Police, took the path of Justice. Court warrants were pending against the accused and in 2022, after remaining unexecuted, the Prosecution was asked to hold a trial in his absence. As the representative of the Public Prosecutor stressed, the presence of the accused at the trial, according to the case-law principles, is not only a right but also an obligation.
The Court, on the recommendation of the Prosecution with a relevant request, which was accepted, ordered a trial to prove the case. The hearing was held in the presence of the complainant, the investigating judge of the case and the submission of relevant evidence. The Court found the defendant guilty in today's proceedings, noting that the case has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Court also highlighted as an aggravating factor the multiplicity of false representations of the accused against the complainant, in order to secure the total amount of €30,000, over a long period of time. The defendant was sentenced, in his absence, to 2 years in prison for the offence of extorting money by false representations, a sentence that will be served once the convicted person is located. The case was handled on behalf of the Legal Service by the public prosecutor A', Yiannos Argyrou.
