Pafos Live 29 August 2025
Around 01:30 this morning, a fire broke out in an apartment building in the center of Nicosia, in which a 61-year-old man lived. Members of the Police and the Fire Service rushed to the scene, who extinguished the fire.
From the examinations that followed, it was found that a fire was set maliciously, while there was no injury to any person.
In the context of the investigation of the case, testimony was obtained and, by extension, a court arrest warrant against a 33-year-old man, who lives in the same apartment building. The 33-year-old was arrested today by members of the Nicosia Crime Detection Department and was detained to facilitate the investigations.
* * * * * *
Members of the Police (OPE Larnaca), while on motorized patrol, stopped this morning, in an area of Larnaca, a car driven by a 27-year-old, with a 33-year-old passenger.
In a subsequent search inside the vehicle, burglary tools were found, as well as various valuables of unknown value.
The two persons were arrested for flagrant offenses and detained. Today they are expected to be brought before the Larnaca District Court for the issuance of a decree for their detention.
* * * * * *
Members of the Nicosia Traffic Police located in the early hours of this morning, in an area of Nicosia, a car moving at a speed of 109 km/h, instead of the 50 km/h provided for by the limit.
The driver, aged 21, was arrested for a flagrant offense and was taken to the Police Station. After being charged in writing, he was released to appear before the Court today for the registration of the case.
Moreover, around 21:15 last night, a car driven by a 24-year-old man in an area of Nicosia, under conditions that are being investigated, collided with a vehicle in front (property damage).
The driver underwent an alcohol test, with a final reading of 149μg instead of 22μg, resulting in his arrest for a flagrant offense.
* * * * * *
Filenews
Three people were injured after an explosion caused at a metal pickup company in Aradippou. Ambulances rushed to the scene and the three persons were transferred to the Larnaca hospital.
According to information from Filenews, the explosion was caused during the process of receiving metals at the premises and it is being investigated whether it was caused by an object received from a firing range.
The condition of all three, according to the latest update, is serious and they are undergoing examinations at the Larnaca hospital.
At the scene of the explosion are pyrotechnicians of the Police, members of the Fire Brigade, members of the Labour Inspection Department, while pyrotechnicians of the National Guard are also expected.
According to information from Filenews, the premises do not have the appropriate operating licenses. In the past, it was sentenced in court with a penalty of €600, but it continues to operate.
Specifically:
• In 2019 and after out-of-court settlements and letters of compliance for the cessation of operations of the illegal unlicensed facility, we sent a detailed report to the Attorney General for the issuance of an interim decree (ex parte) for the cessation of operations of the facility
• In 2022, and after the Attorney General asked us for information, we stressed in our letter that we stand by our initial view for the closure of the facility.
• In 2023, the final decision was issued by the Judge, which was €600 out of court to the offender
What the Police report
According to the first reports of the Police, today and around 9:45 in the morning, a citizen went to a collection area for old metals in Aradippou with a double cab to deliver old metals.
During their unloading, there was an explosion and both he (a 52-year-old Greek Cypriot), an employee of the pick-up area (of African origin) and another citizen (from Bulgaria) who had gone to the place to deliver metals were injured.
All three are transferred to the First Aid Department of the Larnaca General Hospital. The scene has been cordoned off and the causes of the explosion are being investigated.
* * * * * *
The Police arrested a 57-year-old man for a case of securing goods with false representations.
According to an announcement, in the context of the investigation of a case concerning the offenses of securing goods with false representations, fraudulent transaction in real estate, forgery, circulation of a false document, etc., the Police yesterday proceeded to the arrest of a person.
This is a 57-year-old man, who was arrested under a court warrant and taken into custody.
Today he is expected to be brought before the Larnaca District Court for the issuance of a detention order.
The Crime Detection Department (TAE) of Larnaca continues the examinations.
* * * * * *
With the maximum sentence provided for by the Criminal Code, that of life imprisonment, the 51-year-old defendant Stelios Antoniou was sentenced yesterday (28/8). Specifically, the Limassol Permanent Assize Court, with its unanimous decision, imposed consecutive life imprisonment sentences on the accused, stressing that it reflected on whether the sentences should be consecutive or consecutive after the speech of the defendant's defense lawyers.
Taking into account relevant case law and previous decisions, he stressed that the defendant killed in cold blood, in a brutal and painful way, with the use of a knife, the two victims, who were found unsuspecting in the area and did not appear to have anything to do with the attack he had previously received. He underlined that the murder of the victims took place successively, in a short time between them and in the same place. "We believe that the imposition of concurrent prison sentences will not be sufficient to stigmatize the behaviour of the accused," the Court of Assize underlined, imposing consecutive life sentences on Antoniou, which will count from the day he was detained.
In a unanimous decision of more than 200 pages, the Assize Court found him guilty, beyond any reasonable doubt, of the only two counts of premeditated murder in relation to the double murder committed on June 29, 2023 in Ipso. Subsequently, the Court of Assize ruled that for the second defendant, Andreas Constantinou, the crime of premeditated double murder was not established and therefore found him guilty of the crime of homicide of both victims.
Earlier, Stelios Antoniou's defense lawyer asked for time to speak as to whether the sentence will be consecutive or concurrent, an issue that, as she said, affects the time required for parole. The Assize Court gave the required time before the imposition of the sentence. A similar request was submitted by the lawyer of 56-year-old Konstantinou, in order to argue for a mitigation of the sentence. The Court of Assize set a new date for the 56-year-old at the beginning of September.
The two defendants did not admit any of the charges, resulting in the case being led to a hearing that lasted almost two years from the commission of the crimes. The representative of the Attorney General, Senior Lawyer of the Republic, Andreas Aristides, presented a total of 37 prosecution witnesses, while the defense summoned three defense witnesses. The 51-year-old defendant testified under oath, while the second defendant exercised the right to silence.
In today's unanimous decision, the Court of Assize referred to the testimony of an eyewitness, who testified that the first defendant, while he was outside the pub, raised a knife and said: "If you all die tonight". He referred to the conclusions from the testimonies put before him and what was extracted from the closed circuits of surveillance, as well as to the testimonies of experts.
The Assize Court ruled that the crime of premeditated murder for the 51-year-old was fully substantiated, noting that he had the knife with him in advance and that the killing of Michael was not an act of momentary outrage. He stressed that he acted calmly, with full awareness and with the intention of killing both Michael and Onisiforos. He stressed that the defendant in both cases had time to rethink his actions.
He made special reference to the positions of the 51-year-old accused, as they emerged during his cross-examination by Mr. Aristides, that at the time when the crimes took place he was calm, did not lose his self-control and at no point did he go out of his mind.
Regarding the second accused, the Court stated that initially he did not know that Antoniou had a knife, but then he saw him, continued to be with him and participated in the incident, kicking Michael while he was already stabbed to the ground and pursuing a common goal that they had predetermined. In the same way, his guilt was judged for the second victim, Marios Onisiforou.
The double murder was committed on June 29, 2023 outside a pub in Ypsonas, where the victims had gone with a friend to attend a birthday party. 44-year-old Marios Onisiforou and 52-year-old Michalis Michael, also known as "Millas", were fatally stabbed in front of friends and patrons of the pub.
* * * * * *
Cyprus Mail
The five Greek Cypriots who were arrested in the north last month were on Thursday taken back to the crossing point through which they entered the north on the day of their arrest.
The move had been requested by the prosecution on Wednesday, with lawyers having said then that every person involved in the case, including judges, lawyers, and defendants, should visit the crossing point and “conduct a site inspection to see whether the inside of the vehicle could be seen or not” by a police officer working at a crossing point booth.
This is because at last week’s hearing, it was stated by police officer Timucin Apaydin that it would have been impossible for the police on duty to discern how many people were in the Greek Cypriots’ car because of the car’s tinted windows.
The five Greek Cypriots had entered the north in the same car from the British Dhekelia base through the Strovilia crossing point, near Famagusta, on July 19, though the police and prosecutors have claimed that only four identity cards were handed over for inspection on the Turkish Cypriot side of the crossing point. The five Greek Cypriots deny this.
As such, one of the five Greek Cypriots stands accused of having entered the north illegally, while the other four stand accused of having aided and abetted that illegal entry.
On Thursday, the court approved the prosecution’s request, and as such, everyone involved with the case was immediately taken to Strovilia.
According to newspaper Ozgur Gazete’s editor-in-chief Pinar Barut, who witnessed the site visit in Strovilia, the visit lasted for exactly 23 minutes.
During those 23 minutes, she said, the five Greek Cypriots, who were chained to each other, first went to the western side of the crossing point, from whence one drives from the British Dhekelia base into the north, and “checked the signs” indicating that the crossing point area is a restricted zone.
She said that from there, they travelled eastwards to the booths, with those present then examining the inside of the booth and the view from them to the road.
It had been hoped that the car in which the Greek Cypriots had arrived in the north would be used for a re-enactment of their crossing but given the fact that it has been left parked outside the Trikomo police station since July 19 and gathered a significant amount of dust, it was deemed unusable.
Earlier, a civilian court had indefinitely suspended the case regarding the Greek Cypriots’ lawyers’ appeal against the decision for them to remain in custody, meaning that they will likely remain in custody throughout the duration of their trials, of which they face two.
The first, in a military court, concerns their alleged illegal entry, while the second, in a civilian court, concerns charges of privacy violations, trespassing, and breaching the peace – offences which they allegedly committed while visiting the village of Gastria, near Trikomo, on July 19.
Regarding the second case, the Turkish Cypriot authorities also arrested two Turkish Cypriots, an 83-year-old estate agent and an employee of the north’s land registry, on suspicion of aiding and abetting the five. They were both released on bail on August 7.
The case regarding the five Greek Cypriots’ entry to the north will resume on Friday morning, with it expected that the police officer who scanned the identity cards upon their arrival in the north on July 19 will testify.
