A 28-year-old man sentenced to three years in prison for stealing €20, which he later returned, is being set free 11 months into his term.

The appeals court on Monday overruled the court of first instance, taking into consideration the circumstances of the offences and the man’s personal situation.

He had been stopped by the police in July 2025 for inspection, following a series of attempted kiosk robberies by a man with a knife in Strovolos.

In October 2024, the man had attempted to rob two kiosks and managed to leave with €20 from the second scene.

When questioned, the man admitted to committing the crimes and returned the stolen money.

Having had a clear criminal record until then, he was handed concurrent prison sentences, with the longest being three years.

He then got a new defence lawyer, who appealed the sentence.

Maria Athanasiou told the appeals court that the prison sentence was unfair and harsh, and that neither his personal conditions nor his reintegration difficulties had been taken into account.

The prosecution, however, defended the court of first instance ruling, saying it was not an isolated incident but four different ones, during which the man bearing a knife had entered kiosks and bakeries demanding cash.

It also said the man’s personal conditions had been taken into consideration, including that he was a drug addict and had a family.

The appeals court heard that the man has suffered childhood trauma, had been abandoned, bullied and experienced loss, leading to his drug addiction, personality disorders and self-destructive behaviour. He had also lived in foster homes.

The court recommended further investigation into a possible family history of psychiatric issues, as well as if the appellant was in the autism spectrum.

The court said the man’s sentence was strict but not excessive, however the court of first instance could have passed suspended sentences, given that the man had already been in custody at the central prison for 11 months.

The appeals court suspended the sentence to “give him a second chance”.