Man, 84, jailed for murdering wife

An 84-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in jail by the Limassol criminal court on Wednesday for killing his 82-year-old wife Giorgoulla Charalambous on June 6 after an alleged disagreement.

When pronouncing the sentence, the judge said the murder was carried out without a motive. That said, the prosecution considered as mitigating factors the man’s previously immaculate criminal record and his old age before the final sentence.

During a previous hearing the 84-year-old admitted to the charge of manslaughter.

According to the head of Limassol CID Lefteris Kyriacou, during the day of the murder, the man went to a police station at 9.15am with officers dispatched soon after to the couple’s house in Ayios Ioannis in the Limassol district.

The woman’s body was found by officers in the garden of the house.

Police said that the man attacked her by surprise as some blows were at the back of the head, with reports indicating up to five times.

Initial reports from the neighbours appeared conflicting, as some state that the couple was viewed as quiet and friendly, with no indication that such a tragedy could unfold, while others claimed there had been intense shouting between them the night before.

Limassol police said at the time they had no records of previous problems with the couple.