Pafos Livc 6/10
A case of killing an animal, as well as the offenses of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor and felony, illegal possession and transport of a firearm and explosives, as well as firing a shot in a residential area, is being investigated by the Paphos Police Department.
Specifically, on Sunday, October 04, 2026, a 56-year-old man reported to the Police that he found his cat dead, not far from his home. Members of the Animal Unit and the Paphos Central Police Station went to the scene on the same day for examinations.
Yesterday, an autopsy was performed on the animal, during which it was found that it had 13 firearm pellets.
As part of the investigation of the case, an arrest warrant was obtained against an 18-year-old. The suspect was arrested yesterday, while during a search of his home, a number of items were located and confiscated.
The Paphos TAE continues the examinations.
Update - Filenews
The Police made a second arrest today regarding the brutality of killing a cat by gunshot. This is also an 18-year-old from the province of Paphos, who, based on police investigations, was at the scene and participated in the killing of the animal.
Earlier, the Police had arrested an 18-year-old, who was already brought before the Paphos District Court and a four-day detention order was issued against him.
The heinous case is being investigated by the Paphos Police Department, which examines, in addition to killing an animal, offenses related to conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor and felony, illegal possession and transport of a firearm and explosives, as well as firing a shot in a residential area.
The case came to light last Sunday, when a 56-year-old man reported to the Police that he found his cat dead near his home. Members of the Animal Unit and the Paphos Central Police Station went to the scene on the same day for examinations. During the autopsy performed on Monday, the animal was found to have 13 firearm pellets.
As part of the investigation, an arrest warrant was obtained against an 18-year-old, who was arrested on Monday. During a search of his home, a number of items were located and confiscated. Now, a second person is in the hands of the authorities who, according to the Police, played an active role in the commission of the crime.
The Paphos TAE continues the examinations.
Update - The Police made a third arrest as part of the investigation of the case of killing a cat by shooting in Paphos. He is a 16-year-old, who was arrested in connection with the same case.
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Filenews
Four persons were arrested for various offenses as part of targeted preventive police operations carried out overnight on a nationwide basis.
The arrests concern, among other things, cases of burglary, theft, illegal entry and malicious damage.
As part of the operations, the Police carried out organized patrols at key points in urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and enhancing the sense of security of citizens.
During the night, 605 vehicles were stopped for inspection, while 742 drivers and passengers were checked. At the same time, 33 inspections of premises were carried out, without any complaints.
As part of the traffic checks, 328 complaints were made for various violations, of which 132 were related to driving at excessive speed.
136 alcohol tests were also carried out, from which six positive results emerged, as well as four preliminary drug tests, with one positive result.
As part of the police examinations, another 20 vehicles were detained.
According to the Police, operations to prevent and suppress crime continue daily, with an enhanced presence, targeted controls and operational action.
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Members of YKAN arrested a 27-year-old man yesterday afternoon, after a quantity of cannabis with a total gross weight of about one kilogram was found inside his vehicle.
Specifically, around 7 yesterday afternoon, as part of the collection and evaluation of data, members of YKAN stopped a car driven by a 27-year-old man for a check.
During the search that followed, a quantity of cannabis with a total gross weight of about one kilogram, two mobile phones, a sum of money and a half-smoked cigarette containing cannabis mixed with manufactured tobacco were found inside the car.
The 27-year-old was arrested for a self-inflicted offense, followed by a search of his home where his 23-year-old partner was.
During the search, a quantity of cannabis with a total gross weight of approximately 105 grams, two mobile phones, a precision scale and a half-smoked cigarette containing cannabis mixed with manufactured tobacco were found in various parts of the house. The 23-year-old was also arrested for a flagrante delicto.
The two arrested were taken into custody while this morning they are expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court for the procedure for issuing detention orders.
YKAN continues the examinations.
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A suspended prison sentence was imposed last Friday by a Limassol Court on a former community leader for embezzling an amount of €45.000.
The theft of €45,278 was committed between the years 2011 and 31.12.2016 when his term as community leader of Asomatos Limassol ended and as it turned out, he was collecting water supply money without receipts, as a result of which instead of it ended up in the community's treasury they ended up with him. The former community leader faced a total of seven charges, with the most serious being theft from a public servant, abuse of power and money laundering.
The deficit was found during the process of handing over and receiving the property of the Community Council, after the change of term, where an investigation was requested by the successor of the accused in the presidency of the Council, in the context of which it was found that the amount of money delivered as available in cash was significantly lower than that, based on the relevant statement submitted by the Council's accountant to the Audit Office and his finances situations, was expected to exist.
The audit that followed showed a deficit of €45,000. It was also found that there was no booklet of receipts relating to water supply collections. The defendant himself acknowledged the deficit, which resulted from the individual accounting transactions, and volunteered to cooperate in order to repay it, something that has not been possible to date.
The accused, at an advanced age today and with health problems, admitted to the Court the commission of the offenses. The Court took into account in the determination of the sentence the status of the accused, "which is an elected public office, the exercise of which is based on the trust of the local community and includes responsibility for the management of affairs and property of the Community Council.
The commission of a property offence in this capacity is therefore not limited to the financial loss it causes. It also involves a violation of the special relationship of trust arising from the assignment and exercise of the specific public office. This gives increased disdain to the behavior. The temporal dimension is also essential. The period attributed to the charges extends from 2011 to the end of 2016 and coincides, essentially, with the entire specific term of the accused," the conviction states.
In the end, the Court sentenced him to two years in prison, however, he suspended it for three years, due to the long period of time that intervened, the admission of the accused and mainly distinguishing it from other cases where large sums of money were embezzled in an organized way.
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The two drivers recorded in the video of the incident with a food distributor in Limassol were presented to the Police and gave statements, making their own claims about what happened, that a confrontation arose as to the driving behavior of the distributor. According to the spokesman of the Police, Byron Vyronos, so far the victim has not appeared, while the authorities are investigating whether the incident arose after a misunderstanding related to a traffic incident.
The case concerns an incident against a food delivery man on Spyros Kyprianou Avenue in Limassol, which was recorded in a video published by RoadReportCY. The incident took place on the afternoon of Friday, October 2.
Initially, no complaint was filed with the Police, however the authorities proceeded to an ex officio investigation of the case on the occasion of the video that saw the light of day.
In the footage, the delivery man appears next to the fallen bike and its equipment, while a stopped black vehicle is nearby. Tension and physical confrontation follow, which is transferred to the traffic island, with the delivery man being hit and kicked.
A second man is then involved in the confrontation.
According to testimony obtained by RoadReportCY, the episode had started shortly before the camera was activated. The eyewitness stated that the delivery man was moving on his bicycle next to immobilized vehicles, when a person from a car allegedly grabbed him by the distribution bag and pulled him off the bike, causing him to fall to the ground.
"One of them reached out his hand through the window, grabbed the delivery man from his bag and threw him to the ground. Then they got out of the car and started beating him," the witness said.
The specific moment is not recorded in the video and is described only in the eyewitness testimony. The confrontation that followed, however, has been recorded.
According to the same witness, the men left after the incident with the black vehicle.
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The 22-year-old Sahin Babu from Bangladesh, who murdered his 22-year-old compatriot Shahruar Ahmed Emon in Kofinou last June, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca.
The accused was found guilty, after his own admission, of the charge of premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence, with the rest of the charges against him being suspended.
The accused admitted that on June 11 in the Kofinos area, he caused the death of the 22-year-old with a knife, causing him three incisions in the right scapular area and an incision in the left cervix, while he then strangled him.
The unfortunate student had met the alleged perpetrator on a bus on June 7 and during a conversation asked him for a job. The confessed perpetrator then said that he asked the victim to provide him with a wifi hotspot, with the victim refusing and insulting him by telling him "no you are poor, you came from the occupied territories".
This angered him, according to his confession, and he began to organize a plan to assassinate Shahruar, buying a knife to murder him. On June 11, he contacted the victim and allegedly said that he had found him a job for €50 a day. The appointment was made for the same night with the two meeting near the Migrant Accommodation Center in Kofinou.
As they were heading on foot to the Kofinos Slaughterhouse, the perpetrator took the knife he bought and started beating the 22-year-old, whom he strangled when he found that he was still alive. Along the way, he grabbed the student's mobile phone and set up a whole plot in order to extort money from the 22-year-old's relatives, from whom he demanded €35.000 as a ransom, supposedly to free him. The body of the deceased student was found on Sunday, June 21, in Kofinou.
The case was handled on behalf of the Prosecuting Authority by Thanasis Papanikolaou.
The Court of Appeal reduced the sentence of a man to six months in prison from the ten imposed on him at first instance, ruling that during the determination of the sentence, an essential fact had not been put before the Court of First Instance: the automatic activation of an additional 107 days of imprisonment, which had been suspended conditionally under a presidential pardon.
The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision, accepted the first of the four grounds of appeal, rejecting the rest. The convicted man had admitted a charge of theft and the District Court sentenced him to ten months in prison without parole.
According to the facts of the case, on January 1, 2026, the appellant stole a bicycle worth €700, a helmet worth €150 and a pair of shoes worth €100, which were outside the house of a friend of the complainant. The total value of the stolen goods amounted to €950.
The appellant's criminal record played a decisive role in the determination of the sentence. As stated in the verdict, he had been convicted repeatedly over the past decade of offenses that included robbery, burglary, theft, malicious damage, assault and possession of drugs.
The Court of Appeal noted that the appellant had previously received a presidential pardon, as a result of which part of his previous sentence was conditionally suspended. With the new sentence, the remaining 107 days were automatically activated and would be served consecutively with the new sentence.
This fact, however, had not been brought before the Court of First Instance when it imposed the sentence of ten months. The Court of Appeal underlined that both the Prosecution and the accused himself have an obligation to present before the Court all elements that may affect the sentence, including previous convictions and suspended sentences resulting from a presidential pardon.
The judges ruled that the automatic activation of 107 days was an objective fact to be taken into account. Although the Court of First Instance correctly concluded that imprisonment was the appropriate form of punishment, the Court of Appeal held that, if it had been aware of the additional period of imprisonment, it would probably have imposed a different sentence in terms of its amount.
The Court of Appeal ruled, however, that imprisonment was inevitable due to the nature of the offense and especially the appellant's criminal record. He acknowledged that the Court of First Instance had taken into account his admission and apology, the value of the stolen property, the compensation of the victim and the reconciliation of the two sides, as well as the health problems of himself and his mother, whom he is caring for. His difficult childhood and the fact that he had been a drug user in the past were also taken into account.
Despite these mitigating factors, the Court of Appeal emphasized that the appellant's criminal history demonstrates a "pattern of delinquent behavior", particularly in burglary and theft offenses. He also noted that he had served a significant part of the previous decade in prison and that he had committed wrongs again after a previous presidential pardon.
The Court also rejected the request for a suspended sentence, holding that the appellant's criminal record did not advocate for another opportunity outside of prison. The need for specific and general deterrence was considered particularly important.
However, taking into account that the ten-month sentence would activate an additional approximately three months from the previous suspended sentence, the Court of Appeal held that the total criminal burden required his intervention. As a result, the sentence was reduced from ten to six months in prison, while the first instance decision remained in force.
Finally, the Court of Appeal reiterated the need for the Prosecuting Authority to fully inform the Court imposing the sentence of any suspended sentences, while pointing out that the accused himself must also disclose information that may affect his sentence. As noted, such omissions have been repeatedly identified by the courts and in some cases have led to appeals that could have been avoided if due diligence had been exercised during the first-instance proceedings.
The case, on behalf of the appellant, was handled by Irene Christoforidou, on behalf of the law firm Phoebus, Christos Clerides and Associates LLC.
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Five prosecution witnesses testified on Monday before the Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia in the case of the Monastery of Saint Avakum, with the testimonies focusing, among other things, on sums of money allegedly given to the defendants for the construction of icons and for other needs of the Monastery.
A.Z. was the first to testify, who stated that she met Father Porphyrios in 2020 and that, in their discussion, he spoke to her about an effort to develop the monastic space in Fterikoudi. As she said, she was interested in contributing to the construction of an icon of Saint Ephraim.
According to her testimony, she was informed that the icon would cost €5.000, an amount that, as she said, seemed large to her, as in the past she had contributed a smaller amount for an icon to another church. As she mentioned, Father Porphyrios referred her to Father Nektarios, who told her: "We want to make images that will speak to you and not Mickey Mouse."
A.Z. stated that she initially paid the amount of €2,000 to Father Porphyrios and then the amount of €3,000 to Father Nektarios, without, as she said, being given a receipt for the payments.
The witness also stated that in February 2024, when she asked Father Porphyrios what was happening with her icon, he contacted Father Nektarios by phone and gave him to her on the phone. As she said, Father Nektarios told her that the icon would be ready before the feast of Saint Ephraim, on May 5.
During the cross-examination of the witness by Father Nektarios' lawyer, Kostis Efstathiou, a written conversation was presented with the accused, in which the amount of €5,000 was mentioned and there was a discussion about the style of the image. In the conversation, reference was also made to another icon of Saint Porphyrios, of a different style and of lower cost, for which Father Nektarios allegedly mentioned to the witness that it looked like a "kindergarten painting".
Mr. Efstathiou submitted to the witness that in this particular written conversation there was no expression "Mickey Mouse", with A.Z. insisting that she remembers the specific words very clearly.
At the same time, the defense counsel presented the witness with a receipt dated October 4, 2021, which indicated an amount of €3,000 instead of €5,000, with the witness saying that this receipt was never delivered to her.
Mr. Efstathiou also submitted that, after the events of March 2024 and the removal of the accused from the Monastery, Father Nektarios could no longer have any involvement in the preparation of the icon, while the icon could not be delivered in May. A.Z. replied that "it was not of the last hour to prepare my image", as, as she mentioned, the relevant agreement has existed since 2021.
This was followed by the testimony of the K.I., which stated that in 2023 it had made a contribution for the construction of an icon of Saint Porphyrios, on the occasion of the construction of the church of Saint Porphyrios next to the Avvakum Monastery. As he said, at the end of June to the beginning of July 2023 he visited the Monastery and asked Father Timothy about the cost of the icon. He, after contacting Father Nektarios, informed her that the smaller icon would cost €1,000 and the larger one €3,000.
The C.I. reported that she asked when the icon would be ready, with Father Timothy telling her that it would start being built on the same day he would hand over the money. In September 2023, as she said, she handed over €3.000 in cash to Father Timotheos, who issued her a receipt.
Questioned by the representative of the Prosecution Authority, Theodora Papakyriakou, the witness stated that she was working as a kindergarten teacher's assistant at the time and that she had difficulty collecting the amount. "I was depriving myself and my baby of things so I could collect the money," she said.
After the closure of the Monastery in March 2024, the K.I. said that she tried to contact the Monastery and the Metropolis of Tamasos, in order to find out what happened to the icon and her contribution, without, as she said, having received a response to date.
Witness S.Th. then testified that in 2020 he had visited the Monastery with his child, who was diagnosed with a serious illness, and that during their visit Father Nektarios crucified him with the cross of Saint Porphyrios. According to the witness, the cross stuck to the child, which made him believe that a miracle had happened.
As he mentioned, at the beginning of January 2021 he contacted Father Nektarios, having been informed via Facebook about the financial needs of the Monastery and handed him €2,000 for its support. He said, at the same time, that the incident with the cross had influenced his decision to offer the money. "I thought he was cured," he said, referring to his child.
Responding to a question by the representative of the Prosecution Authority, Vassilis Bissas, about how he feels today, the witness replied: "I don't want to express it. I don't believe anything. I lost my faith."
During the cross-examination, Mr. Efstathiou submitted to the witness that Father Nektarios never told him that the child had been healed, but told him to have strength.
The next prosecution witness, A.A., director and owner of a paper packaging company that supplies, among other things, bakeries and confectioneries, stated that the company's cooperation with the Monastery began in February 2021 and ended in March 2024. As he said, the Monastery still owes the company about €2,590. He also mentioned that Father Porphyrios was responsible for the orders and that most payments were made in cash.
The witness also mentioned that, in the early stages of cooperation, Father Porphyrios had requested that invoices not be issued for certain orders, adding that this was not possible to do, since, as he said, the company is completely legal.
When asked by Mr. Bissas how she would characterize, based on her experience, the turnover of the Monastery, A.A. said that it was "relatively among the greats".
During the cross-examination of the witness, the defense attorney of the Monk Porphyrios, Maria Kestoros, submitted to the witness that Father Porphyrios had requested that receipts be issued for the accounting books of the Monastery and not that the products should not be invoiced. The A.A. replied that the company could not issue a receipt without first invoicing the products.
Finally, S.V., a builder, testified, who stated that in 2022 he undertook, following a verbal agreement with Father Porphyrios, the construction of fencing in the Monastery for €800 and the demolition of bricks for €450. He said that he was paid in full for the work, with cash paid to him by Father Timotheos. During his cross-examination by Mrs. Kestoros, he said that he has no monetary claim or complaint from Father Porphyrios.
The hearing will continue on October 7, at 09:30.
It is recalled that the case concerns the monks Nektarios and Porphyrios, who face, among other things, charges related to conspiracy to defraud, forgery and use of false documents, theft from a representative, illegal possession of property, money laundering, interference in court proceedings and submission of a false tax return.
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A man was brought to a direct trial before the Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol today (5/10), who is accused of sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor, about 10 years ago.
The accused was in a foreign country and after the victim's complaint, he was arrested on a European warrant and then brought before the Cypriot Justice. The complaint is chilling, as the alleged perpetrator was the husband of the victim's sister at the time. The offenses, according to information on our website, were committed when the victim was a minor. However, it was only recently that he found the strength to report the case to the Police Authorities.
The accused was brought before the Limassol Court, with his lawyers objecting to their client's detention. However, the Court rejected the objection and ordered his detention as a prisoner in the Central Prison until the start of the trial which was set for November.
The accused, according to information on our website, faces more than 10 charges, which relate to child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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A luxury residence that was never erected, an architectural study and a legal dispute that lasted two decades! The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Nicosia District Court to pay €403,047 to the architect, ruling that the architectural study had been completed and that the value of the project amounted to approximately £4.5 million. – an amount that also set his fee – and not at £500,000, as the owner claimed. It is worth noting that the luxury residence in Agioi Trimithias was never built!
The dispute between the two parties began with an agreement of July 2002, when the appellant commissioned the respondent, an architect by profession, to prepare an architectural study and related works for the construction of a luxury residence in Agioi Trimithias. The construction of the project never started and its implementation was abandoned after the death of the appellant's husband in January 2004.
According to the decision, the agreement provided for a total remuneration of the architect of 7% of the value of the project, with 6% for the architectural study and 1% for the supervision. The architect claimed that he had completed the architectural study, including the plans, the terms of the offer and the procedures for securing the required permits.
The appellant disputed the terms and scope of the agreement, arguing that the relevant documents had been signed with carte blanche and that the architectural study had not been completed. He also claimed that the value of the project was around £500,000 and not £4.5 million, as the architect claimed.
The District Court had rejected these positions and had ruled that the value of the proposed house was £4,500,000. The testimony of an approved quantity surveyor, who estimated the cost of the project at £4,549,857, also weighed on him. The Court of First Instance also held that the architectural study had been completed and that the agreement was divisible, with the result that the architect was entitled to the 6% fee for this part.
The Supreme Court, in its unanimous decision, ruled that there was no reason to interfere with the evaluation of the testimony by the Court of First Instance. As he notes, the Court of Appeal does not intervene in credibility findings unless they are manifestly erroneous, contrary to common sense, or without sufficient support in the testimony.
The Court was particularly concerned about the difference between the amounts of £500,000 and £4,500,000. The amount of £500,000 was stated in documents submitted to the relevant authorities. The Supreme Court held, however, that this indication could not be considered binding as to the real value of the work, as the Court of First Instance had evaluated the entire testimony and had accepted the expert's assessment.
At the same time, the Court rejected the claim that the agreement in question was unlawful because documents had indicated lower costs. As stated in the decision, the illegality of the contract had not been expressly signed and the evidence before the Court did not prove, without further investigation, a manifest illegality in the conclusion of the agreement. Any unlawful conduct in the performance of an otherwise lawful contract does not automatically render the contract unlawful either.
The Supreme Court also rejected the argument that the architect was prevented from invoking a project value of more than £500,000 because of the specific documents. It held that the real value could be proved by other admissible testimony and that the estimate of £4,500,000 was based on evidence assessed by the Court of First Instance.
In relation to the nature of the contract, the Supreme Court confirmed that it was divisible, as the fee had been clearly divided into 6% for the architectural study and 1% for the supervision. The completion of the architectural study independently created a right to the corresponding remuneration, regardless of the fact that the project did not proceed to the construction stage.
Following the above, the appeal was dismissed in its entirety and the first instance decision was upheld. The appellant was also ordered to pay the costs of the appeal in the amount of €3,500, plus VAT, if applicable.
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An important decision of wider importance for the operation of radio and television stations was issued on October 5, 2026 by the Supreme Constitutional Court, vindicating DIASTASIS F.M. LIMITED (of the Phileleftheros Group), operator of the radio station "107.4 ACTIVE".
The case concerned a fine of €1,500 imposed by the Cyprus Radio and Television Authority for the show "Activistas", which was broadcast in April 2017. In particular, the Authority had considered that an exchange between the radio producers of the specific broadcast violated the rules that must govern the content of radio broadcasts and, on that basis, imposed an administrative fine on the station.
The Supreme Constitutional Court questioned whether the provisions on which the Authority relied to impose the fine in question on the station conferred on it the legal authority to do so.
The Court, in its unanimous decision, answered in the negative.
Simply put, the Court held that it is not sufficient for a legislative provision to lay down rules on the content of broadcasts. In order for an Authority to be able to impose a fine, the law must give it a clear and specific authority to do so for the specific violation.
In the present case, the Court of Justice found that the Authority imposed the sanction without the required clear legislative basis, violating the fundamental principles of legality and legal certainty and acting unlawfully outside its institutional framework. As a result, it annulled the fine of €1,500 and vindicated the appellant.
The decision is an important development for broadcasting law in Cyprus. In addition to the outcome of this case, it highlights the importance of a clear legislative basis for the imposition of sanctions and sets an important framework for the exercise of the sanctioning powers of the Radio and Television Authority against radio and television organizations.
The radio station was represented by the law firm Polakis Sarris & Co LLC.
