Supreme Court hikes sentence for 64-year-old who raped autistic man aged 25

A 64-year-old man who raped a 25-year-old autistic man had his prison sentence increased to 10 years, following a Supreme Court decision.

In assessing the case, the Supreme Court said the initial sentence which was four-and-a-half years, was an error of principle from the Nicosia criminal court that handed down the shorter jail term.

The 64-year-old faced three charges: penetrative sexual abuse, kidnapping and indecent assault.

According to the details of the case, the 25-year-old is autistic and had moderate learning difficulties with behavioural disorders, facing problems in communication and socialisation.

The court heard he had always been fascinated by cars and trucks and every day, he would go to a field near his house to admire a truck that was parked there, before going back home.

On December 21 last year, the 64-year-old who was driving by stopped, introduced himself with a false name and said he could drive him to see the truck. The 25-year-old initially refused but eventually agreed and got in the car.

Instead of taking him to see the truck, the man took him to an abandoned shack and raped him. The 25-year-old went back home and told his family what happened.

Officers secured surveillance footage of the man’s vehicle and tracked him down. He admitted to the charges and said he had realised the younger man had learning difficulties.

The decision to sentence him for four-and-a-half years was appealed by the attorney-general. The Supreme Court found grave error with the fact that this was not the first time the 64-year-old had been charged for similar offences.

Outlining the worrying uptick in sexual abuse cases, the Supreme Court also highlighted that the 64-year-old took advantage of the learning difficulties the 25-year-old had, as well as the age difference.

Taking this into consideration, four-and-a-half years was not deemed to be an apt reflection of the crime, and the pensioner’s prison sentence was increased to 10 years.