Attempted abductors to face trial

Three men who had broken into a house and attacked a couple and their teenage daughter last week in Limassol, have been referred to the criminal court on Wednesday.

Limassol district court ordered the suspects be referred to the criminal court and remain in custody pending the next hearing of the case on December 16, 2022.

The three, two 24-year-olds and a 20-year-old, had been arrested last Wednesday after they broke into the family house in Mesa Yitonia to allegedly abduct the 18-year-old daughter, who was not at home at the time.

They are facing charges of attempted abduction, assault causing actual bodily harm, burglary, conspiracy to commit a felony, and causing malicious damage to property.

During the first hearing of the case, the prosecutor representing the family pleaded the seriousness of the charges and the importance of the defendants to remain in custody.

Despite the defence lawyer’s various pleas for the court to release of the defendants, the court ordered the case was indeed a serious one and they should remain under custody.

One of the claims of the suspects was that he had consulted with the 18-year-old daughter of the couple before the incident, however, this has been refuted by the fact the daughter was not home at the time nor in Limassol. Even though the young woman was acquainted with the suspect, communication between them was cut a while back.

Another man and a woman are also wanted for the case.

The break-in took place five minutes after midnight on Monday, while the couple, a 43-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman were sitting in the living room with their 15-year-old daughter.

Then, the father heard noises outside and went to the kitchen to check. There, he saw four men and a woman with their faces covered breaking through the kitchen door and entering the house with the intention to abduct the daughter, whereby the family was attacked.

Police said the thieves assaulted the man as well as his wife and daughter who rushed into the kitchen to help. A few minutes later, the suspects fled the scene, and the family called the police.

The victims were transferred to the district’s public hospital where they were treated for their injuries and later discharged.