Pafos Press 17 December
A case of rape reported in Nicosia is under investigation by the authorities.
Specifically, a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint last Sunday, December 14. On the afternoon of the same day, members of the Police proceeded to arrest a 28-year-old man.
The suspect was brought before a court, which ordered his seven-day detention.
Police investigations are ongoing and are in full swing.
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Filenews
A 45-year-old man is now in the hands of the Police for a case of burglary and theft of a bag store housed in Limassol.
The incident occurred on September 15, 2025, and according to information, scientific testimony emerged.
The 45-year-old foreigner was taken into custody.
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"The task of the courts is to ensure that the streets of the Republic become safer day by day for everyone, sending a strong message with the penalties imposed on every would-be offender," the Limassol District Court, where traffic offense cases are heard, states in its decision.
The above position was extended for a paradoxical, but serious case with an accused 46-year-old cyclist, who was found driving on a road in Limassol under the influence of drugs. Faced with the seriousness of his act, not only did he not escape the sentence, but he was sentenced to three months in prison.
The defendant was found guilty, after a hearing, of the offense of driving under the influence of drugs, in violation of articles 11B and 11G of the Road Safety Law Law 174/1986, as amended by Law 13(I)/2016, and articles 16 and 20A of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Traffic Law.
The defendant was sentenced to three months in prison and five counts, while he was deprived of the ability to hold or obtain a driving license for a period of six months.
According to the facts of the case, on 1/11/2023, around 16:30, the accused was riding his bicycle under the influence of drugs, specifically methamphetamine, in the middle of the traffic lane of Ferzit Pasha Street in Limassol. He was stopped by a police officer and during the check, it was found that his eyes were red, while he exhibited strange behaviour, appeared scared, trembled and worried. He was asked to undergo a preliminary drug test, which showed a positive methamphetamine result. The accused was transported by patrol car to the Limassol Traffic Police, where an additional sample was taken.
The defendant's lawyer, during the mitigation process, stated that his client apologized for his act, while pointing out that he does not use a motor vehicle, only a bicycle for his travels, which minimizes any risk on the road.
"The commission of offenses of this nature has increased dramatically and, to this end, judicial knowledge is obtained from the frequency of similar cases that I deal with every day, namely driving under the influence of drugs," the court's decision points out, stressing that "traffic accidents have become a scourge in our country in recent years, and driving under the influence of drugs increases the risk of causing them."
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The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of a person to three and a half years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor, rejecting the one and only ground of appeal registered by the accused and directed against the testimony of the complainant's mother.
The case has a long history with the mother complaining to the Police against the accused of rape and acquitting him since he had not come to the trial to testify, while finally, when her daughter turned 16 and was now living with her mother in London, she proceeded to reveal what she suffered. They came to Cyprus together and the minor filed a complaint against him, hence the case of sexual abuse and indecent assault.
As stated in a decision of the Court of Appeal, it was attributed to the accused that, in three different cases that took place several years before the complainant submitted her complaint and gave a statement, on an unknown date between the years 2007-2010, he did what was attributed to him. The complainant gave a videotaped statement to the Police when she was 16 years old, which was accepted during the hearing.
According to what she has reported, the first incident occurred when she was between 5-7 years old, in the toilet of the house where they lived, since at the time, the accused was very close to her family. The second incident, which was the most serious, took place on another date when the complainant was about the same age. The last incident took place when the complainant was, as far as she remembers, in the fourth grade of elementary school, when she had moved with her family to another house and the accused was then bothering her family.
The Court of Appeal referred to all the legal aspects of the case and that the Court of First Instance rightly dealt with the complainant's inability to accurately place the time when each incident took place. Referring to the case-law, it stated that this is not evidence that can undermine its credibility, both because of the passage of a long period of time and, above all, because of the age it was at the time when the disputed events took place. "Victims of such cases are not expected to remember the exact dates and details of each harassment. The important thing was, as stated by the Court of First Instance, that the complainant specified in detail the nature and form of the exploitation, allowing the categorization into three different acts", commented the Court of Appeal.
He then found that the Court of First Instance correctly concluded that for the offense of the first charge, i.e. sexual exploitation of a child, supporting testimony is not required for the purpose of proving it. Therefore, it is stated in the decision of the Court of Appeal, the conviction of the appellant did not arise as a result of the positive assessment of the complainant's mother, so the ground of appeal raised is of no importance and does not affect the correctness of the decision of the Court of First Instance.
He also held that the Court of First Instance was right to consider that she had no reason under such circumstances to push her daughter to file the complaint. On the contrary, it appears that, through the healthy environment in which they now live, when she realized the reason why her daughter presented any issues, and after the advice of experts, she came with her to Cyprus to submit the complaint so that the complainant could now close that period of her life as positively as possible.
In the end, the appeal was rejected and the conviction was upheld.
The fact that the accused is 46 years old, has a clean criminal record, as well as his personal and financial circumstances were taken into account as mitigating factors. The court, in imposing the sentence, had in mind the need for deterrence, sending the message that driving, even a bicycle, on a public road implies obligations. A driver must comply with the Highway Code and the Traffic Law, driving in such a way that neither his own safety nor the safety of unsuspecting third parties is endangered.It is also noted in the decision that, assessing on the one hand the seriousness of the offense and the need for the sentence to have a deterrent character, and on the other hand the mitigating and other mitigating factors, it was considered that the only appropriate sentence for the accused was imprisonment, as any other sentence would be ineffective and ineffective and would send the wrong messages to would-be new offenders.
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The "trial" continues today, Wednesday, in the "district court" of the occupied Trikomo, of the two Greek Cypriots, who are accused under the pretext of violating personal data, with the testimony of prosecution witnesses.
During the previous "trial", on December 11, three witnesses of the "prosecution authority" testified, while footage from closed circuit surveillance was also shown showing the entry and exit of five Greek Cypriots in tourist and residential complexes in Boghazi, on July 19.
The process, as announced, will continue tomorrow, Thursday.
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After seven months when the trial of father and mother began before the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca, for the shocking case of abuse of 4 children, the two defendants pleaded guilty to most of the heavy indictment. This is a case that caused shock throughout Cyprus when it was revealed last March, but also fierce reactions against the competent services.
The 48-year-old, who is a stepfather to some of the children, as well as the 42-year-old mother face over 60 charges, some of which carry up to life imprisonment. The trial began last May and is being held behind closed doors for the purpose of protecting children, who experienced an incredible Golgotha. According to information from Filenews, the two pleaded guilty, among other things, to charges of exploitation at work, causing mental harm and assault causing actual bodily harm. In addition, the 48-year-old also pleaded guilty to the charge of sexually abusing one of the girls, whose stepfather he is. It is noted that some of the charges included in the indictment relate to 2009 and reach up to 2025. The case was set for January 30 for events and speeches to mitigate the sentence. The two defendants will then hear their sentence.
It is recalled that the two were arrested last March by the special unit for violence in the family of TAE Larnaca. The case was revealed when one of the children of the family confided in his school what he had been experiencing horribly with his siblings in recent years. So the procedures were initiated and statements were taken from the children, some of whom are now minors.
Among those reported is that the 48-year-old forced four of the five children of the family to work in fields and livestock farms, while some of them complained that he used violence against them. Allegations of abuse were also made against the mother. One child, moreover, also reported sexual abuse by the 48-year-old. As it was established, the family lived, under miserable conditions, in shacks, among the livestock farms, which were consumed by fire a few days after the revelation of the case.
The case had caused a storm of reactions, since the Social Welfare Services monitored the family and knew for years about the living conditions of the five children of the family.
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The Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca imposed a 13-year prison sentence on a 35-year-old man of Arab origin with a UK passport, who last September imported more than 24 kilograms of cannabis into Cyprus, through Larnaca airport. The accused was found guilty after his own admission to charges related to the possession and transportation of drugs for the purpose of supplying them to other people.
According to the facts of the case, the 35-year-old went from Britain to Thailand, where he received a bag of drugs. He then arrived on September 10, 2025, on a flight from Bahrain to Larnaca Airport. During the inspection carried out in his luggage by the Customs Department, in cooperation with YKAN, 44 nylon packages were found, which contained cannabis plant material with a total weight of 24 kilograms and 568 grams.
In his testimony, the accused stated that he agreed to transport the drugs in order to write off a debt he created in the United Kingdom. He also refused to name who handed over the suitcase with the drugs, stating that he fears for the safety of his family.
As aggravating factors in the determination of the sentence, the Court took into account the frequency with which serious drug cases now come before it and the need to impose dissuasive penalties. His clean criminal record, the fact that he is the father of two children, as well as the fact that he was not the mastermind but a member of the drug trafficking chain were taken into account as mitigating factors.
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All seven defendants in the case of the alleged ring with a long-term convict, in relation to alleged money laundering, denied all charges today.
The long-term convict Giorgos Christodoulou, known as Zavrantonas, along with six other defendants, including a 37-year-old businesswoman, her parents and brother, a 40-year-old man from the province of Famagusta, as well as a 26-year-old prison guard of the Central Prisons, were again in the dock today.
The defendants' lawyers said they were ready to respond to the charges, even though four applications are pending in the Supreme Court for the annulment of the search and seizure warrants concerning amounts found either in safe deposit boxes or in the homes of some of the defendants and it is estimated that the judgment of the Supreme Court will be decisive for this case.
According to the charges brought against them, it is attributed to all or some that from 1/1/2025 to 1/7/2025 they conspired to commit a felony, i.e. money laundering. Also that while they knew that they were the product of illegal activity, they possessed various amounts as follows: €240,000, €149,610, €56,000, €33,000 and €22,357, as well as participation in a monetary benefit of €53,870, with knowledge – according to the prosecution – of their illegal origin. The indictment also includes a charge of possession of a painting worth €2000, which is alleged to be the product of illegal activity.
And beauty services
Separate charges are attributed to the prison guard, who, according to the prosecuting authority, allegedly received beauty services from the 37-year-old businesswoman - socialite for her own benefit, in order to provide information about the long-term convict, as well as to illegally channel official information. She replied non-admission. The long-term convict, and the 37-year-old, also declared non-admission to a charge attributed to them for providing beauty services in a way of corruption to the prison guard, to provide them with information in relation to prison issues.
The prosecution requested that a long-term convict continue to be in custody, a request that was accepted by the Court, while the next hearing was set for March 4, 2026 at 09:00, so that the hearing of the case could begin. The remaining six defendants were released under the same restrictive conditions.
It is noted that Zavrantonas is serving a 22-year prison sentence for a drug case, he has appealed against his conviction with the decision pending.
