A 43-year-old man was charged with premeditated murder in court in Trikomo on Wednesday after having allegedly killed a man by dousing him in petrol and setting him and his house alight.

The incident occurred in the Karpasia peninsula village of Lythrangomi, with the suspect according to local media having been complaining that village resident Nihat Ilkhan was “gossiping about his girlfriend”.

In court on Wednesday, the man denied all charges. Ilkhan’s family was not allowed into the courtroom, but outside the building called for “justice to be served”.

The suspect reportedly broke into Ilkhan’s house on September 4, dousing both his victim and parts of the house in petrol while his victim was sleeping in his bedroom.

Ilkhan sustained serious injuries as a result of the incident and was taken to northern Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital for treatment, but eventually succumbed to his injuries.