A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attempted murder and rape of a 26-year-old woman following a violent attack at a hotel in the Famagusta district in August 2024.

The Famagusta Criminal Court imposed a 15-year sentence for attempted murder and a concurrent 12-year sentence for rape, meaning the man will serve a total of 15 years.

He was also convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The offences took place in the early hours of August 31, 2024, after the defendant and the victim met at a nightclub and subsequently went to the hotel where the woman was staying.

According to the court’s findings, the defendant subjected the woman to an extremely violent attack, repeatedly striking her until she lost consciousness.

The court concluded that the nature and severity of the assault demonstrated his intention to kill her.

After the woman lost consciousness, the defendant raped her before abandoning her in the hotel room, bleeding and helpless, believing she was dead.

The victim was rushed to hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit for 48 hours until her condition stabilised. She remained hospitalised for several more days before being discharged.

The defendant was found guilty on July 30, 2026, following a full trial.

The court’s verdict relied heavily on the woman’s testimony, which judges found credible and which was corroborated by forensic and scientific evidence, DNA analysis, independent witness testimony and CCTV footage.

The defendant’s account was rejected as unreliable.

In determining the sentence, the court emphasised the gravity of the offences, noting that they violated fundamental rights, including the right to life and sexual autonomy.

Judges said the circumstances warranted severe and deterrent sentences, placing particular emphasis on the prolonged and repeated violence inflicted on the victim.

The court also highlighted the fact that the defendant raped the woman while she was unconscious and subsequently abandoned her, believing she had died.

The period the defendant has already spent in custody since September 11, 2024, will be deducted from his sentence.