Pafos Live 29 May 2026
The Paphos Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a 29-year-old man to four years in prison, after hearing cases of three shoplifting, theft and arson of a vehicle, committed in January, 2025, in Paphos.
The case was investigated by the Paphos Police Department.
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Filenews
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.
As a result of the preventive policing operations, ten persons were arrested, for various offenses including illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, burglary of a building and theft. During the night, 312 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 430 drivers and passengers were checked. At the same time, 31 inspections of premises were carried out, from which 2 complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 152 complaints were made for various traffic violations, of which 61 concern speeding. A total of 77 alcohol tests were carried out during which one driver was found positive. Three preliminary drug tests were also carried out during which one driver tested positive. Also, as part of the police examinations, 2 vehicles were detained.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue every day, 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 Police arrested a 17-year-old, as part of the investigation of a case involving conspiracy to commit a felony and robbery.
According to a complaint made to the Police, a 30-year-old man, yesterday around one in the morning, while he was driving his motorcycle, with a 30-year-old passenger as a passenger, in the area of Limassol, an unknown car approached them and then stopped their course. From the car in question, three people got out of the car with their faces covered with hoods, who then attacked the two 30-year-olds, causing them to flee.
The perpetrators then stole the motorcycle and left the place in an unknown direction. Members of the TAE Limassol were called to the scene and carried out on-site examinations, while as for the stolen motorcycle, it was found a few hours later in a park in Limassol.
The 17-year-old was arrested today at noon with a court arrest warrant, while he is expected to appear before the Limassol District Court tomorrow, for the issuance of a detention order.
The TAE Limassol continues the examinations.
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The Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol found a psychologist guilty today (28/5) who is accused of sexually abusing a minor, who was visiting him as his patient. The case, which was heard before the Criminal Court in a closed-door procedure, was based on the testimonies of witnesses and the complainant herself, with the court reaching findings of guilt in the four charges faced by the accused, underlining the abuse of the complainant's relationship of trust.
The four charges concern sexual abuse of a child in violation of articles 2, 6 (4)(a) and 14 of the Prevention and Combating of Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Pornography Law (Law 91 (I)/2014) and Article 5 (a) of the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and Related Issues Law (Law 115(I)/2021).
According to the announcement issued by the Criminal Court, the offenses concerned a minor, who at the time of their commission was about 17,5 years old and was being monitored by the accused as a psychologist.
Specifically, the court decided that the accused, abusing the position of trust, power or influence he had towards the complainant, kissed her on the cheek and mouth (category 1), kissed her on the mouth (category 2), put her hand on a sensitive part of his body (category 3) and proceeded to a sexual act (category 4).
For the purpose of proving the case, the Prosecuting Authority called 9 prosecution witnesses and the accused, after being called to apologize, testified under oath and called three defense witnesses.
According to the court's findings, the meetings of the complainant with the accused took place in the latter's office, which was located inside his house. When the complainant started visiting him, she was closed to herself, lacked self-confidence at all, and relations with her family, especially with her father, were detached.
As a result of her meetings with the accused, the complainant gained self-confidence and her social relationships and performance at school improved.
The accused called her with various flattering expressions, had confided in her his personal experiences and had bought 2-3 paintings that she prepared herself. The complainant saw him as her saviour and admired him. In one of the sessions, a few months before the incident in question, the complainant told him how she likes older men.
The defendant knew that the complainant had not had sexual intercourse before and told her that at her age, it was normal for her to have sex and that she had to. He also told her that she should dress "sexy" and not be ashamed.
A day before the incident in question at a scheduled session, the accused asked the complainant if she wanted him to teach her how to kiss and perform sexual acts. The complainant asked him "how" and he did not answer. The complainant, although she felt uncomfortable, thought that this would be done for her own good, since the accused kept telling her that he wanted to make her a "woman" and behave like a normal "woman". During the same session, at the suggestion of the accused, a meeting was arranged between them the next day in order for the complainant to go to his house to paint a wall.
The next day, the accused picked up the complainant from her house and they went, after some stops, to his house. On the way, the accused made a reference to women and the commission of sexual acts.
When they arrived, the accused told the complainant to wait for him at the bottom of his house and before he went on top of the house, he said to her "give me a kiss", he kissed her first on the cheek and then on the mouth while he was naked from the waist up.
Then, after the accused finished an online appointment he had, he invited the complainant to go to his office and showed her a video of pornographic content, which was projected on the screen of his computer. Among other things, the accused told her to come and do this to me too. The complainant froze and just did what he told her, and when she told the accused that she was shaking, he told her that it was because she was living an experience.
They then went to a store to buy brushes and paints and when they returned to the accused's house, while the complainant was watching a TV show on his computer, the defense witness called the accused and told him that the complainant's mother was worried. Then he returned her home. On the way he told her not to tell anyone, saying that many people betrayed him and not to do it herself.
After two days, the complainant made a fragmentary report to the two prosecution witnesses, and then when she spoke with them she realized the true dimensions of what happened. She felt betrayed since she had told the accused that she wanted to live something that would make her strong and he acted in the way described above.
The court, after the conviction, ordered that the accused remain on trial until the next hearing, which was set for early June, for speeches to mitigate his sentence.
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On 25/5/2026, officials of the Customs Department, as part of the usual checks they carry out for the implementation of the Green Line Regulation at the Agios Dometios crossing point, proceeded to check a passing commercial vehicle driven by a 36-year-old Turkish Cypriot, where they found 40 cylinders of refrigerant gas in its storage area. The person involved, after being questioned by the officials, stated that he did not have any accompanying documents for the goods.
Following a reasonable suspicion that the bottles came from Turkey, the officials of the Customs Department proceeded to confiscate the goods and the vehicle while also arresting the driver involved. He was later released after his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offense with the payment of an amount of €15,000 was accepted. The seized goods were transported to a warehouse of the Nicosia Customs where they are kept until the date of their destruction or recycling by an approved company.
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The electronic traces from the Wi-Fi ticketing system "burned" a hotel receptionist in the province of Famagusta, with the Court of Appeal upholding the conviction and the six-month suspended prison sentence, imposed at first instance, for embezzling revenue amounting to €765 from internet access sales.
The case concerned an offence of theft, which was committed, according to the indictment, in the period from 30 April to 31 October 2015. The appellant was one of four hotel receptionists accused of embezzling money from the sale of tickets for access to the hotel's wireless internet.
In its unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal held that there had been no violation of the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time, despite the long duration of the proceedings. The defense argued that the delay between the registration of the case in 2016 and the issuance of the first-instance decision in 2023 rendered the proceedings invalid. The Court, however, ruled that the duration of the trial was justified by the complexity of the case, the large volume of documents, extensive cross-examinations, requests from the defendants for additional material, difficulties in locating witnesses, as well as postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The testimony of an economist and business consultant, who had undertaken to investigate losses in the sales of Wi-Fi tickets on behalf of the company that managed the hotel, was considered decisive. Through an analysis of the electronic data of the ticketing system and their comparison with the data delivered to the accounting department, hundreds of cases of tickets that had been issued and used without the corresponding price being paid were identified.
As regards the appellant, the Court accepted that she was involved in 71 specific cases of ticketing during hours when she worked alone at the reception of the hotel. Of these, 51 were tickets worth €15 each, with the total amount amounting to €765. The Court of Appeal underlined that the conviction was limited only to cases where it was proved that the tickets had actually been used and there was no doubt about their fate.
Rejecting the defense's claims of unreliability of the electronic system and possible problems with the printer or equipment, the Court stated that no charges were brought for all the dubious cases. Instead, the accusations were based only on incidents for which there was clear data on the use of tickets and non-return of money to the hotel.
The Court of Appeal also rejected the claim that the delay between key witness testimony and the issuance of the verdict affected their credibility assessment, noting that most of their testimony was already on record in written testimonies and evidence.
In relation to the sentence, the Court held that the court of first instance duly took into account the defendant's clean criminal record, her health problems and the passage of a long period of time between the commission of the offences and the imposition of the sentence. He pointed out, in fact, that for similar offenses, significantly harsher prison sentences have been imposed in other cases.
In conclusion, the Court of Appeal decided that there was no reason to intervene in the first-instance judgment and fully upheld the conviction and sentence of the appellant.
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Despite his heavy criminal past and the seriousness of the offense of breaking into a church, the Court of Appeal threw on deaf ears the appeal filed by the Attorney General for an increase in the sentences imposed on him at first instance, ruling that the honest and continuous battle of the 48-year-old convicted for his drug rehabilitation is a decisive mitigating factor. Therefore, the Court of Appeal held that the first-instance sentences remain appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
The case concerned the burglary of the Holy Church of the Apostle Andrew in Aglantzia, with the accused admitting that he stole jewellery worth €2.832, which he resold to a goldsmith, while also causing €150 in damage to the window and glass showcase of the church. At the same time, he had also admitted the crime of car theft.
The Nicosia District Court had sentenced the 48-year-old to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit a felony, 22 months for burglary during the night, 15 months for theft, three months for malicious damage and 15 months for theft.
The Attorney General argued before the Court of Appeal that the sentences were manifestly inadequate, citing the seriousness of the offenses, the increase in burglaries and thefts, as well as the criminal past of the convicted. According to the decision, seven other cases had been taken into account against him for related offenses, as well as his previous conviction for theft, theft and illegal possession of property.
The Court of Appeal agreed that the court of first instance had not given due weight to the defendant's repeated delinquent conduct, characterizing this omission as an error justifying his intervention. At the same time, he reiterated that the jurisprudence strictly deals with the offenses of burglary and theft, underlining the need to impose dissuasive penalties due to the increase in such offenses and their effect on the sense of security of citizens.
However, the Court paid particular attention to the efforts to rehabilitate the 48-year-old convict from drugs. As stated in the decision, the respondent has been a heroin user since the age of 18 and his addiction was a substantial cause of his criminal behaviour. After his conviction, he voluntarily joined the "Danae" rehabilitation program at the Central Prison, in which he continued to successfully participate until the appeal hearing.
The Court of Appeal took into account a certificate from a special psychologist of OKYPY, according to which the convicted person appeared willing and motivated to manage his addictive behaviour. Reference was also made to the serious social and economic problems he faced due to his long-term dependence, including the sale of his business and unemployment.
In conclusion, the three-member Court of Appeal ruled that, despite the need to impose dissuasive penalties and the aggravating repeated delinquent behaviour, the practical and ongoing effort to rehabilitate the accused acts as a serious mitigating factor that compensates for the need to increase the sentences. Therefore, it decided to maintain the sentences at first instance.
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The details of the man who fell from the floor of a building in the area of the Port of Larnaca on the morning of May 27 and lost his life, as part of an operation by members of the Aliens and Immigration Service, were identified by the Police.
He is a 46-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Police managed to identify the deceased shortly after noon and efforts are being made by the authorities to inform his relatives. He is an asylum seeker, whose application was rejected and was illegally on the territory of the Republic.
Several foreigners gathered symbolically tonight at a point in the apartment building where they held a peaceful event dedicated to the memory of the deceased 46-year-old.
The attendees lit symbolic candles in memory of their friend and compatriot and prayed for the soul and memory of the deceased.
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The Supreme Court, in its decision dated May 27, 2026, issued a privileged Certiorari warrant, annulling an arrest warrant issued by the Nicosia District Court against the mother of a minor, ruling that there was insufficient documentation to justify such a serious measure of restriction of her freedom.
The case concerned a criminal investigation for an alleged offense of illegal retention of a minor outside Cyprus by his mother, in the context of a family dispute over the custody of the child.
The Supreme Court, examining the application for annulment (certiorari) of the minor's mother, ruled that the lower court did not have before it any evidence to support the issuance of an arrest warrant, based on the principles of necessity and proportionality.
The decision states that "the lower Court could not conclude that the issuance of an arrest warrant for the Applicant was necessary and proportionate", while it is noted that the reasoning that "the facts of the case make the issuance of the warrant necessary and desirable" was not sufficient without specific facts.
The Court also stated that "the recording by the Judge who issued the warrant that he was reasonably satisfied that the facts of the case make the issuance of the warrant necessary and desirable, was not justified by the testimony that had been put before him with the Police oath", pointing out that the judgment for the issuance of a warrant must be based on a specific and sufficient basis.
A central point of the decision was that the lack of sufficient justification is not a formal issue, but an essential review of legality, as it concerns the restriction of personal freedom. As stated, "on the basis of all the evidence that had been put before it, it is considered that, objectively, the lower Court could not conclude that the issuance of an arrest warrant for the Applicant was necessary and proportionate".
It is also noted that no objection was registered in the application on the part of the Prosecuting Authority.
Therefore, the Supreme Court issued a privileged Certiorari warrant, annulling the applicant's arrest warrant and reaffirming the jurisprudential principle that any warrant must be based on specific, sufficient and verifiable reasoning.
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With a 205-page decision, the Nicosia Criminal Court acquitted on Thursday (28/05) all six defendants, four individuals and two companies, from a total of 34 charges they faced, after a six-year legal battle. All four individuals are Greek Cypriots and both companies are registered in Cyprus.
The charges involved conspiracy, theft of €3,250,000, forgery of documents, putting false documents into circulation and keeping false accounts.
The defense of the defendants faced 26 prosecution witnesses presented to the Court by the Prosecution. Ultimately, the Court ruled that their testimony was not sufficient to substantiate the charges against the defendants. In addition, the Court did not accept the reasons why the Prosecution did not present to the Court persons who could enlighten it with their testimony. In this regard, the Court accepted the positions of the defense, which had raised this issue as a point of law.
For Defendants 1, 2, 4 and 5, the Law Office of Christos M. Triantafyllidis appeared together with the Law Office of Stylianos N. Christoforou. For Defendant 3 the Law Office of Stelios Avgoustis and for Defendant 4 the Law Office of Elias Stefanou.
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The second defendant for the double murder of Andreas Kouzoupis and 38-year-old Slovak David Chmelar is facing a life sentence, after pleading guilty to two counts of premeditated murder before the Limassol Permanent Criminal Court. The two victims were found charred on July 30, 2024 in a vehicle, on a dirt road in the Listrovounos area of the Limassol district, in a case that shocked the whole of Cyprus.
During today's proceedings (29/5) before the Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol, the facts of the case were presented by the Prosecuting Authority, which is represented by the Senior Lawyer of the Republic, Andreas Aristides. As mentioned, the second defendant, after admitting and imposing his sentence, will be called as a prosecution witness. The Criminal Court set the next hearing at the beginning of next month for the imposition of the sentence on the second defendant
According to the facts of the case, on July 30, 2024 and after 23:00, the second defendant, together with another person, went by car to the area where the water tank is located in the village of Arakapas, in the province of Limassol. During their transition to the specific point, the above persons were in possession of a shotgun.
Then and at about 23:30, Andreas Kouzoupis went to the same place, after prior consultation with the person mentioned above, together with David Chmelar. The two were in a vehicle, which was driven by David Chmelar.
During the meeting of the above persons, the second defendant together with the other person, acting jointly, killed Andreas Kouzoupis and David Chmelar. In particular, the second defendant together with another person, as premeditated, killed the two victims, who were shot consecutively with a shotgun in the head area. It is clarified that the second defendant was not the person who handled the shotgun at the time of killing the victims.
The vehicle in which the bodies of the two victims were was transported by the second defendant and the aforementioned other person to the area of Listrovounos, in the province of Limassol, where they pushed it onto a dirt downhill side road of the Parekklisia - Kellaki road. The vehicle crashed into a tree and came to a standstill.
Subsequently, after being supplied with flammable material, i.e. gasoline, the second defendant together with the other person set fire to the vehicle, as a result of which it was completely destroyed and the bodies of the victims were charred.
The second defendant was arrested on August 1, 2024 at 20:45, following the execution of an arrest warrant issued against him.
The lawyer is expected to speak at the next hearing, for limited purposes, as the law provides for a single sentence, that of life imprisonment.
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In 2003 the Republic of Cyprus expropriated an area of 800 sq.m. of property in the province of Paphos and offered the owners of the property the amount of L.K.100 (€170).
The owners of the property, although they considered the amount of compensation offered to them by the Republic of Cyprus to be very small, nevertheless did not react and did not apply to the Court for an increase in the amount of compensation.
In 2018, a new expropriation of their same property was published. An additional area of about 3,500 sq.m. was expropriated.
The owners then contacted their lawyers DEILINOS & ASSOCIATES D.E.P.E. who, in the context of investigating the case of the new expropriation, also studied the facts of the earlier expropriation published in 2003.
In 2021 they decided to proceed with the registration of a Referral to the Paphos District Court for the old expropriation published in 2003 in order to increase the amount of compensation of €170 offered to them by the Republic of Cyprus.
After 5 years of litigation and 23 years after the expropriation of 800 sq.m. of their property, the owners were vindicated after the Paphos District Court recently issued a decision awarding them the amount of €165,000 as compensation for the expropriation of 800 sq.m. of their property published in 2003.
