Filenews 1 January 2026
The targeted preventive operations of the Police continued during last night, with an enhanced presence in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, protecting citizens and ensuring public order.
As part of these operations, the Police proceeded to arrest six people.
Two persons were arrested, for the spontaneous offenses of fighting, assault on a police officer, drunkenness, causing concern and public insult. These are two men aged 24 and 28, who were spotted around 1:30 after midnight today, by members of the Police who were patrolling Nicosia, participating in a fight.
Also in Nicosia, a 38-year-old man was arrested last night, who was spotted by a member of the Police, in a state of intoxication, shouting and causing concern. Offenses involving assault on a police officer, drunkenness, anxiety and public insult are being investigated against the 38-year-old.
Two persons were also arrested for the offense of illegal stay in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, while one person was arrested for illegal possession of drugs.
During the same night, 35 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of preventing and suppressing delinquent behaviours.
From the traffic checks carried out, more than 130 complaints related to various traffic violations emerged, while eleven persons were found driving under the influence of alcohol. As part of the investigation of traffic offenses, ten cars were detained.
These operations are part of a broad, continuous and strengthened preventive plan of the Police, with increased police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action in all provinces, with the aim of preventing crime and strengthening the sense of security of citizens
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The Police are investigating a new case of extortion of property with false representations and internet fraud, following a relevant complaint by a 61-year-old woman.
According to the complainant, yesterday she received a call on her mobile phone, through an electronic telephone application, from an unknown person, who presented herself as an online bank operator. The unknown person asked the 61-year-old to give him her personal information, as well as the details of her bank accounts, allegedly for the purpose of updating her details.
After the complainant gave the above information to the unknown person, he asked her to make five money transfers from the account held by the 61-year-old in a commercial bank, to her account in the online bank. The 61-year-old proceeded with the above money transfers, transferring a total amount of €425. However, immediately afterwards she realized that she was a victim of fraud, after finding that her account in the online bank was debited five times without her approval, for the total amount of €425.98.
The Financial Crime Investigation Office of the Paphos Police Department is investigating the case.
On the occasion of this case, the Police once again calls on the public to always be careful in their online transactions. It also reminds that banks or other organizations never ask for personal or other information through phone calls or messages. In case we suspect that a phone call is a scam, we end the call without giving any information and immediately inform our bank and the Police.
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An unprecedented case was brought before the Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia with a 40-year-old protagonist negative and four minors as victims.
As can be deduced from the decision of the three-member judiciary issued last Tuesday (30/12), the man sentenced to five years in prison administered narcotic substances, especially cannabis, to four minors, with the aim of sexually abusing them. In fact, on four occasions he manifested his intentions with heinous acts, such as petting.
The five-year prison sentence may not be too high, since the 40-year-old immediately admitted to the serious offenses and was credited with a number of mitigating factors, however the circumstances of the case and the seriousness of the offenses do not cease to cause a sensation.
He was 12 years old...
Suffice it to note that according to the admissible facts, the four minors were aged between 12 and 16 years old. In fact, his two daughters are in their teens, which is pointed out in the Court's verdict.
What is surprising, however, is that the youngest of the minors, and while she was 12 years and 11 months old, told her that he liked it by suggesting that they have a secret relationship. For this case, the Criminal Court (Lefteris Panteli – P.E.D., Marilena Theoklitou – A.E.D., Konstantinos Markos Pashiardis – E.D.) points out that "it is this complainant who at the time in question was (...) younger than the very daughter of the accused".
And from the admissible facts, it is clear that the 40-year-old "from March 2024 to January 2025, on various occasions, picked up the minors in his car without their parents' knowledge from various places where they were and drove them either to his home or to other places, where he supplied them with cannabis. They all used together and he attacked them obscenely."
According to the admission he made in 21 charges, the 40-year-old administered cannabis to the four minors 13 times (a different minor in each case and not to all minors the same times), while in the following three cases he committed sexual abuse (we record them only for the purposes of serving the public interest and as long as they do not include extreme references):
> At the moment when the 14-year-old was behind the driver's seat, where the 40-year-old was sitting, he stretched out his arms and touched her calves. The event caused the complainant annoyance and disgust. She reacted and moved away from him.
> Another 14-year-old girl who was 12 years and 11 months old at the time in question, and while he had given her cannabis, he touched her calves. Immediately the minor pushed his hand and he asked her: "What, do you like it?". He often told her that he liked it and that they wanted to have a secret relationship.
> To another teenager and shortly before she turned 16, in the spring of 2025, and while she was asking if they wanted to have a relationship, the 40-year-old abused her in the elevator of the apartment building where she lived. He hugged her tightly and touched her on the back and buttocks. The girl reacted and told him to stop. She entered his apartment where a friend of hers who had met them was. After the 16-year-old sat in the armchair, he hugged her and under the pretext that she was cold, he touched her chest and legs.
The 21 charges he admitted
The accused pleaded guilty to 21 charges, of which 13 relate to the offense of supplying a narcotic substance (cannabis). Two other charges have to do with the use of cocaine by the 40-year-old. As far as the other categories are concerned, they relate to sexual urges and consist of sexual abuse of children (three specifically minors in four cases) in violation of Article 6(3) (categories 7, 15 and 16) and Article 6(7) (category 13) of Law 91(I)/2014. The last two charges that the accused admitted concern the offense of roaming under anaesthesia for the purpose of committing a felony, in violation of Article 227 of the Penal Code, Cap. 154 (categories 14 and 18). He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of five years to nine months in prison. At the request of the representative of the prosecuting Authority, lawyer of the Republic Stalo Papoui, the Criminal Court issued a referral order to the Supervisory Authority for as long as the convicted person is serving his sentence, plus two years after his release.
"Anaesthesia for the purpose of their exploitation"
The Court accepted mitigating factors which were touched upon in his speech by the defense attorney, Marios Spyrou. Among them were the personal circumstances of the 40-year-old, his clean criminal record and his immediate admission (practical remorse), which resulted in the complainants not testifying under oath regarding the sexual offenses, which would have had the same consequences of shaking their mental health.
The Court, in its decision, took into account other more serious cases invoked by the defense of the accused (note case law) and focused on the seriousness of the offense of supplying drugs, especially to young persons.
The Criminal Court characteristically notes in its verdict: "Here the whole behaviour of the accused brutally affects this core of society, which consists of all the children and of course the four underage girls are an integral part of the young generation of the place. He further highlights his complete indifference to the effects that the use of the drug that he so generously supplied to them could have had on their health." The Criminal Court did not fail to refer to the intentions of the 40-year-old: "In this case, the action of the accused is even worse given that in two of the cases of drug administration (categories 14 and 18), the purpose of this supply was to roam the underage girls mentioned there in drugs for the purpose of their exploitation, that is, to make the donations described in the charges and were vividly explained to the Court in the document A. In short, he took advantage of the situation in which two of the minor complainants (categories 14 and 18) found themselves from the drugs he supplied them, in order to proceed with his illegal immoral acts, such as the touches mentioned therein. And this is another element, in addition to victimization, which reveals an additional aggravating factor (...)".
It should also be noted that the convicted person holds a university degree. The three-member judiciary also records in its decision the position of its lawyer, Marios Spyrou, that his client had no financial benefit from the administration of the drugs and that he was a user.
According to his undisputed position, he started using cannabis and occasionally cocaine, after a blow to the eye in 2019 by a roommate which caused him serious injury (fracture of the left eye socket) and the subsequent unbearable pain.
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The Fire Service responded to a total of 34 incidents in the last 24 hours, including 11 fires and 23 special services, according to information provided by Andreas Kettis.
Specifically, at 00:55 there was a response of the Famagusta fire station for a fire on two motorcycles of unknown other details, which burned in the center of the square of the Deryneia community. The fire was extinguished with the escort and presence of the Police.
Also, at 01:17, a 1100-liter bin was extinguished in the center of Paralimni Square, also in the presence of the Police. A staffed vehicle responded to the above incidents, while the cause is said to be deliberate burning by young people.
At 02:14, Nicosia fire stations responded to a fire in a private vehicle, which was parked in Strovolos, outside the owner's house. The fire was extinguished before the arrival of the Fire Brigade using a fire extinguisher. On the part of the Fire Brigade, final extinguishing, ventilation and inspection were carried out. Two staffed vehicles responded, while an investigation into the cause will follow.
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Yesterday, around 2:00am, information was received to the Police about a fire in a vehicle, owned by a 20-year-old woman, which was parked outside her house, in Nicosia.
Members of the Police as well as the Fire Service went to the place, where they cordoned off the scene, while the fire had already been extinguished by tenants of the above house.
The vehicle in question suffered extensive damage, while further examinations that followed today, it was found that the fire was set maliciously. The TAE of Nicosia continues the examinations.
