Men jailed for burglary and arson

Paphos criminal court on Saturday jailed two men for separate cases of burglary and arson.

A 28-year-old man was jailed for two and a half years for deliberately setting fire to a house in Paphos on June 17, 2021.

He was arrested the following day after police got hold of evidence naming him a suspect.

A second man, aged 34, was handed concurrent prison sentences, the longest being two years, for two cases of burglary, theft, and the possession of stolen goods.

He broke into two Paphos shops in October and September 2019. From the first he stole two safes containing over €13,000 and from the second a cash register with a smaller sum inside.

He was also facing the court for a third case, this time of the possession of stolen goods, which he was arrested for in February 2019.

The 34-year-old had been arrested after being spotted ‘acting suspiciously’ in an area in Paphos while carrying a bag full of burglary tools, police said.

In the car of a second suspect who was with him, aged 43, police found a tablet, several pairs of sunglasses, a watch and electronic drill, all of which were thought to have been stolen after neither of the suspects could give an adequate explanation on where they got the items.

The 34-year-old is also currently serving a six-year sentence handed down to him after facing the Nicosia criminal court in March 2021 for another large theft.