The court of appeal has upheld the 14-year jail sentence of a stepfather convicted of multiple sexual offences against his underage stepdaughter, which had been imposed by the Paphos criminal court.

In its judgement on February 12, but made public on Thursday, the court rejected the appeal on 18 counts of sexual offences, citing no grounds for intervention.

The Paphos district court sentenced the man on 27 September 2022 for offences including rape, sexual abuse due to a breach of trust, and domestic violence, which occurred between 2018 and May 2019 when the girl was just 13.

The court of appeal ruled that determining sexual abuse cases is the responsibility of the trial court and dismissed allegations of bias, finding no evidence of unfair treatment or violation of the right to an impartial panel.

The court upheld the 14-year sentence, emphasising the severity of the offences, the breach of trust, and the victim’s age as aggravating factors.

Accordingly, the court of appeal rejected both appeals and confirmed the decision of the Paphos criminal court.