Pafos Live 15 May 2026
A 24-year-old man is being treated at the Limassol General Hospital in an extremely critical condition, as a result of a road collision that occurred yesterday morning on the Paphos - Limassol highway, in the direction of Limassol.
The road collision happened around 9:40 a.m., when a car driven by a 37-year-old man on the above highway, at some point on the road, at the height of the village of Sotira, under circumstances that are being investigated, dragged and injured the 24-year-old, who was working for the execution of works on the highway.
The 37-year-old's vehicle then collided with a large bright flashing arrow and came to a standstill.
The 24-year-old was taken to the Limassol General Hospital, where he was found to have suffered multiple injuries, with his health condition, according to the doctors on duty, being classified as extremely critical.
The driver of the vehicle was subjected to a preliminary drug test with a positive indication and was arrested under a court warrant.
The Limassol Traffic Police, in collaboration with the Episkopi Police Station, continue the examinations.
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
During the night, 458 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 562 persons in them were checked. At the same time, 40 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, from which six complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 281 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 11 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, seven vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made about traffic violations, the 128 complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out. For driving under the influence of alcohol, 79 vehicle driver checks were carried out, during which 3 complaints were made, while for driving under the influence of drugs, four driver checks were carried out, with three positive preliminary results.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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The 29-year-old Turkish father who snatched the 23-month-old baby from his mother on Wednesday morning in the village of Apaisia in the Limassol province was arrested in the occupied territories.
Specifically, according to a report in the Turkish Cypriot press, the "authorities" of the occupied territories arrested him for "illegal entry and violation of a military prohibited zone", as well as for "leaving the occupied territories without the permission of the competent authorities".
The 29-year-old was located by the "authorities" of the occupied territories together with the infant in the occupied areas of Famagusta, while the "Department of Social Services" decided that the child should remain in a domestic environment for the time being, near his grandmother on his father's side.
"Catch the child" the wanted father shouted to his alleged accomplice
It is recalled that a 53-year-old Turkish Cypriot, an alleged accomplice of the 29-year-old Turkish father, was arrested and detained for eight days in connection with the case. The suspect, during his oral interrogation, after his arrest, did not cooperate, while a written statement is expected to be taken from him in the presence of lawyers and an interpreter.
The perpetrators may have devised and implemented the abduction plan perfectly, however, they made mistakes, as a result of which the authorities quickly reached the traces of the 53-year-old. The latter rented a vehicle on the 11th of the month, returning on the 14th. After picking up the 29-year-old Turkish father yesterday, he took him to the village of Apaisia.
There, the 29-year-old entered the residence of the mother, who was sleeping with the child at the time, and attacked her. After managing to grab the child, the father ran away and left the house. During the mother's attempt to pick up the child, the three fell into the pool. The wanted father continued to punch her while the 53-year-old alleged accomplice appeared to support him.
According to information from filenews, the 29-year-old shouted in Turkish at the 53-year-old, "catch the child" with the suspect doing so. Subsequently, the three escaped in the rental vehicle, which was later located at a point near the Pergamon roadblock. Authorities are investigating how the 53-year-old escaped from there and whether another person picked him up.
The 35-year-old British mother identified the 53-year-old suspect in a photo shown to her by the Police, confirming that he was the person who took the child from the pool and left.
According to our same information, the mother has been in Cyprus since 2007 and since 2022 she has been living in occupied Famagusta, where she met the Turkish wanted man online. The two entered into a relationship and had their child. The 35-year-old claimed that the father used drugs and had aggressive behaviour, as a result of which she reported him to the so-called police of the occupied territories. The mother noted that she did not find protection, as she received threats from the father, and crossed into the free areas in September 2025. She also said that the father was sending threatening messages that he would kill them. In November, he filed a complaint with the Police, as a result of which an arrest warrant was issued against him for domestic violence.
It is recalled that, despite the fact that she participated in the special protection program "Elpis" and had an immediate notification application for the Police on her mobile phone, the surprise and brutality of the attack did not allow her to activate the notification in time. The notification was given immediately after the perpetrators left, with the authorities mobilizing immediately.
Further testimonies are expected to be taken from the investigators of the Investigation Unit of Violence in the Family Cases of the TAE Limassol for the case, while material from closed surveillance circuits will be examined. It is noted that the Turkish father made posts on social media, showing the child that he is with him and that he is playing and is fine.
In the meantime, a request has been forwarded to the Turkish Cypriot side for the surrender of the Turkish wanted father. The request was submitted through the Bi-communal Office under the Technical Committee on Crime and Crime.
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The District Court of Nicosia issued its decision on Friday, May 15, 2026, for two of the eleven persons accused in the suicide case of 14-year-old Stylianos Constantinou, in September 2019. These are two officials of the Social Welfare Services (SWS), who, after admitting to the charges they faced in relation to the commission of the offenses of deliberate neglect of the performance of official duty by a public official, in violation of Article 134 of the Criminal Code, were sentenced to imprisonment with a three-year suspension. The first person, who was found guilty of three charges, was sentenced to 10 months in prison on each of the charges and the sentences are concurrent. The second person was sentenced to 8 months in prison for one count. Mitigating factors were taken into account in the imposition of the sentence.
In particular, the first convicted person was found guilty because from March 2011 to December 2011, in three different cases, while he was in charge of ensuring the protection and care of the minor Stylianos and was aware of the mistreatment and neglect that Stylianos was experiencing, he deliberately neglected the performance of his duty, since:
- did not take measures to protect the child, who was the recipient of physical violence by his father, a fact of which he was aware,
- he did not take care to take measures to protect the child, even though he knew that his father was slaughtering animals in front of him on the farm he kept, and
- did not take care to move Stylianos from the family home.
The second convicted person was found guilty because during July 2014 and September 2016, while he was in charge of ensuring the protection and care of the minor Stylianos, he showed conscious indifference to the case of Stylianos and deliberately neglected to investigate the living conditions of the family and take measures to protect him.
The Court's reference contained in its decision is characteristic:
"Defendants 1 and 2, who were officials of the SWS, were tasked with protecting the well-being and caring for the minor Stylianos, who due to his age was considered a vulnerable person. In general, a SWS officer, a public official who performs duties related to the protection and care of the well-being of persons, the protection of the safety and dignity of persons such as minors, whose well-being essentially depends on their own actions and actions, must comply with their duties with integrity, consistency and conscientiousness. The public expects public officials who hold such key positions, and even positions of trust, to provide active protection to vulnerable persons. Otherwise, public trust is shaken, the institutions of the State and the functioning of the State itself are undermined. In addition, vulnerable persons are exposed to risks that could be prevented by their timely and active response by the SWS officers who have a duty to do so.
In the present case, defendants 1 and 2 not only disregarded but deliberately failed to comply with their duty. […]
The seriousness of the offenses is a given, but the circumstances and nature of their commission as described above add further seriousness, as the fate and protection of a vulnerable minor was in their hands and they did not do the right thing. The acts of defendants 1 and 2 are manifestly impermissible and reprehensible."
On behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic, the case was handled by Ms. Elena Konstantinou, Public Prosecutor.
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Cy Mail
A new stabbing in the central prisons has come to light, although the incident has not been officially announced, according to press reports on Friday.
A man claimed he had been attacked by fellow inmates on Tuesday and, despite his wish to file a complaint, the police was not informed and he was not taken to hospital for his injuries.
According to Reporter, the man’s lawyer sent a letter to the justice minister, informing him of the incident.
The inmate had filed a complaint to the police in February that he had been beaten by prison wardens and was later threatened against advancing the case.
His lawyer Demetris Apeshiotis has sent letters to the justice minister, the chief of police and the head of the criminal investigations department, requesting a thorough investigation.
Apeshiotis said that on Tuesday midday, two people assaulted his client, stabbing him in the left arm and shoulder, as well as the abdomen.
The lawyer, according to Reporter, said the two inmates had been placed in isolation, one of them for just two days.
Apeshiotis requested that his client “be taken to the hospital for treatment”.
He also cited the first letter he had sent to the justice minister, as well as threats reportedly from the prison administration.
The inmate appears to have informed the police in writing last February that a fight was imminent, however the fight was not prevented. Instead, in his effort to stop the fight, he was placed in isolation.
Following his protests, he was cuffed and a prison warden, who he appears to name in his complaint, reportedly broke his arm.
Apeshiotis requested the medical reports concerning his client, who said he did not feel safe.
He also informed the justice minister of the incident and suggested an investigation and possible suspensions of prison officers.
The lawyer also cited a report, which indicated that many inmates do not report violence for fear of retaliation, while 59 incidents were not reported to the police but verified through medical files.
