Sentence increased for man who shot ex girlfriend

A man’s two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for causing intentional bodily harm after he shot a woman twice with a hunting gun has been reviewed and raised to seven years, it was announced on Friday.

The supreme court accepted the attorney general’s appeal of the sentence, as the initial two-and-a-half years was deemed inadequate and by no means prohibitive to future crimes.

The man had shot a woman with whom he had previously had a relationship, the statement said.

“The woman has the right to choose her relationships and the right to end them, a fact which the accused did not respect,” the supreme court decision read.

The supreme court sided with the arguments made by the AG’s office in light of the severity of the crime, raising the prison sentence to seven years – substantially higher than that initially imposed the Larnaca-Famagusta court.

The case is understood to be that of a man then aged 24 who shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend because she had broken up with him.

The incident occurred on September 13, 2020, in a village in the Famagusta area when according to police, the 34-year-old woman was shot twice with a hunting rifle while on her balcony.

The pregnant woman was rushed to Famagusta Hospital with multiple injuries to her back from pellets from a hunting rifle.

In passing its sentence at the time, the court cited as a mitigating factor that the defendant’s judgement had been clouded by the news that the woman had been in relationship with someone else when she was dating him. It also found that the offence was not premeditated.

Moreover, according to CNA, the court also found that the defendant was emotionally charged and angry and had acted in the moment, which weakened his self-control.