An 18-year-old man appeared in court in Lefka on Tuesday, accused of having assaulted his 48-year-old fiancee, who is currently undergoing treatment in hospital.

In court, a police officer explained that at around 6.30am on Saturday, the 18-year-old “hit” his fiancee “on the head with his hands” during what was described as a “verbal argument” at their home in the village of Elia, near Lefka, about the prospect of her “taking the child with her”.

At one point, the officer said, the woman locked herself in the bathroom, before, fearing that he would force himself in, jumping from its window and falling around four metres to the ground.

The officer said that she suffered a fractured spine and a brain haemorrhage as a result of the fall, and that she is now being treated at northern Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital.

Following the officer’s testimony, judge Ergin Atici remanded the 18-year-old for three days.