Filenews 13 November 2025
The Police arrested a 17-year-old today in connection with a fire that broke out on Tuesday night in a school classroom in Limassol. The young man was located and arrested under a court warrant and is in custody as part of the investigation of the case.
The fire had caused the mobilization of the authorities, with the Limassol Crime Detection Department (TAE) undertaking the examinations, which continue to fully clarify the circumstances and any additional persons involved.
It is recalled that the Fire broke out around 10.50 in the evening in a room of the Fourth Lyceum of Agios Nikolaos in Limassol, with members of the Fire Service intervening immediately to extinguish it.
The fire caused damage to the hall where the school management is housed, with their value remaining unknown so far.
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Members of the Branch for Combating Offences of Theft of Intellectual Property and Illegal Betting of the Electronic Crime Sub-Directorate of the Police Headquarters, in collaboration with members of the Limassol YKAN and the Limassol Central Police Station, as well as officials of the Pharmaceutical and Health Services of the Ministry of Health, conducted a search this morning pursuant to a court warrant in a premises in Limassol.
During the search, which was carried out in the presence of the 24-year-old person in charge of the premises, the following were identified and received as evidence:
- 15 packages/products containing the substance cannabidiol (CBD), for which there is no marketing authorization in the Republic,
- 11 packages/products, which fall under the provisions of the Food Law,
- 199 packages containing cannabis, with a total weight of approximately 591 grams,
- 7 packages containing cannabis and cannabis resin, with a total weight of approximately 21 grams,
- 6 packages containing cannabis resin, with a total weight of about 6 grams,
- 15 factory cigarettes containing cannabis, with a total weight of about 15 grams, as well as
- 21 packages containing an electronic cigarette with an unknown substance, with a total volume of approximately 21ml, which is suspected to contain prohibited substances.
All the above products were received for further scientific examinations, while the 24-year-old was arrested for the self-inflicted crime of illegal possession of a class B controlled drug for the purpose of supplying to other persons.
The case is being investigated by YKAN (Limassol Unit) and the Limassol Central Police Station.
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Taking advantage of the darkness and the works being carried out in the shopping center of Larnaca, unknown persons smashed a jewellery store window and snatched expensive watches and jewellery with their loot exceeding €50,000.
The burglary took place last Tuesday in the early hours of the morning and was made public today by the Police. A citizen who lives in the shopping center of Larnaca reported to the Police that shortly before 3 in the morning he heard glasses shattering and then the alarm of a jewellery store sounded in a passage of Ermou Street. Members of the Larnaca Police Department went to the place and found that the perpetrators broke the glass door of the entrance and then smashed an internal glass window and snatched expensive watches and other valuables.
The scene was cordoned off and scientifically examined for evidence. The owner of the goldsmith said that watches and jewellery worth €50.000-€60.000 were stolen.
From the testimony obtained, it seems that there were 2 perpetrators who escaped on foot, and then boarded a scooter.
According to the Police, the store has a safety roller, which for an unknown reason, was not activated during the closing of the store. According to the owner, the store does not have security against theft.
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The case of the murder of Stavros Demosthenous was referred to a direct trial before the Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol, which was set for January 29, 2026.
Four persons are currently accused in the case, while two more are expected to be added. The witness material was handed over today to the lawyers of the accused and includes dozens of testimonies, gathered in a voluminous box file. It should be noted that the case includes 104 prosecution witnesses, including three persons who were initially arrested as suspects in the murder and then released.
The indictment includes four defendants. This is 30-year-old H.S., who allegedly mediated for the purchase of the motorcycle from the former footballer, receiving – according to the evidence – the amount of €100 after the murder, in order to falsely declare to the Police that the motorcycle had been stolen.
The 51-year-old of Greek origin, who had previously been released by the Court, was also added. The accused is allegedly connected to the stolen Mitsubishi Colt, in which jerry cans with flammable matter were found, as well as his DNA.
The accused is also a 30-year-old convict, who allegedly gave the order to buy the motorcycle from his cell in the Central Prison.
The 31-year-old Georgian, who is closely connected to the two 28-year-old co-defendants, is also said to have played a decisive role in the case. He maintains a family relationship with one (I.Z.), while they are childhood friends with the second (A.Z.), as he claimed during his interrogation.
The defendants face a total of 17 charges, which relate to premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to murder, arson, illegal possession, transportation and use of a firearm and explosives, theft of a car, participation in a criminal organization, as well as theft - the latter concerns only the 51-year-old defendant.
It should be noted that the defense attorneys of the accused asked the Court for time to study the witness material. The lawyer of the 51-year-old accused, Alexandros Alexandrou, stated that he will raise an objection to his client's detention request. As he said, his client was informed only yesterday that the case would be registered against him and presented himself voluntarily to the Court today. In fact, he asked that tomorrow morning he be ready to state the reasons for the objection.
The case was set for 10:30 a.m. on Friday. The three defendants will remain in custody, while the 51-year-old will sign at various times today and tomorrow morning at the Paphos Central Police Station.
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The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has been ordered to pay €97,500 in compensation to a homeowner in Platanistasa village, Nicosia district, following a fire that broke out after heavy rainfall around midnight on 13-14 January 2012.
The homeowner had filed a civil action against the EAC, claiming damages for her house and alleging the fire was caused by the authority’s negligence.
After 11 years of legal proceedings, the Nicosia District Court upheld her claim and ordered the EAC to pay the amount plus statutory interest and legal costs.
The action was based on the plaintiff’s claim that the fire was caused by a short circuit in EAC electrical cables located very close to the house and connected to it through a wooden meter box.
According to findings from various expert examinations, the fire was due to an electrical short circuit, while any malicious or criminal act was ruled out.
Evidence before the court showed that although the EAC had disconnected the meter from the owner’s house, the cables remained connected and live, resulting in them causing the fire.
For its part, the EAC denied any responsibility, arguing the house was insured, the electricity supply had been cut off since 2011, and maintenance of the box and meter was the consumer’s responsibility.
It further claimed the fire may have been caused by lightning rather than its networks, and that since power had been cut off, fire could not have been caused by its cables.
Ten witnesses testified for the plaintiff and two for the EAC.
In a 35-page decision, the court concluded the fire started from an installation under the EAC’s responsibility. The decision notes that “if there had been care and normal operation of the electricity supply system, no short circuit would have occurred in cables nor fire that spread to the house”.
The court stressed that “the EAC, as an electricity supply company, especially a monopoly company for which consumers paid and pay high costs for electricity provision, must maintain its energy supply network safe under normal conditions (and normal conditions cannot but include rainfall, even so-called ‘bad weather’)”.
The court pointed out that no evidence was presented of such extreme weather conditions that could not reasonably be expected to cause damage to an electricity network.
There were simply, the court noted, some general and vague speculations about lightning without any additional or even corroborating evidence in that direction.
Consequently, the court concluded, the principle of Res Ipsa Loquitur (“the thing speaks for itself”) must apply. In simple terms, in the normal course of events, a fire would not occur due to a short circuit after rain.
Ultimately, 13 full years after the fire, the owner’s claim was accepted, and the court ruled in her favour, awarding compensation of €97,500 plus legal costs and statutory interest from the date the action was filed in 2014.
The case was handled on behalf of the owner by lawyer Victoria Gavroudiou for the law firm Agathokleous – Neofytou and Co LLC.
