Evidence destroyed in Limassol court fire

Evidence and records involving serious criminal cases may have been damaged in an apparent arson at the Limassol Courthouse, with reports saying perpetrators used a ladder to gain access to the building by breaking a window.

Authorities on Wednesday were still waiting to learn what evidence and records may have been destroyed during a fire at Limassol’s district court, after a concerned citizen alerted authorities to smoke coming out the window early morning in the wee hours around 1:45am.

Police said they were looking at security camera footage as well as into a report about two individuals using a ladder outside the building, climbing to the second floor, breaking a window, and gaining access to the building.

Fire fighters rushed to the Courthouse where they put out a fire in a room used as a storage facility on the second floor. Reports said physical records and computer equipment caught fire in the room.

It was also understood that evidence associated with ongoing criminal court cases in Limassol were affected by the fire, including records of evidence and computer servers hooked up on the building’s network.

The Court Registrar is expected to deliver a full account of what has been damaged or destroyed in the fire.

Issues with evidence storage in courthouses were raised in 2004, according to local media.

Years later, in 2018, Nicosia judges dismissed a case against two defendants in connection with drug related offences, siding with their defence attorney who argued the trial was unfair because a court fire had destroyed the evidence.

The fire in the Nicosia courthouse started in the early morning back in February 2018, destroying evidence besides the drugs, including mobile phones and bullets.