Judge takes shot in the dark in cliff death case

A judge in Paphos ordered a man to remain in police custody for three additional days in connection with the cliff death of a Ukrainian woman, despite police saying they were still waiting on a second autopsy to clarify charges.

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Police said a district judge in Paphos on Tuesday ordered a murder suspect in remanded custody for three days, as the man’s initial 8-day remand was about to expire in connection with an investigation into the death of his girlfriend ten days ago.

An initial autopsy prompted police to arrest the suspect in the death of 28-year-old Ukrainian national Lesia Bykova, whose cliff death was being handled as a premeditated murder case.

But the suspect, a Ukrainian national who holds a Greek passport and lives permanently in the Republic of Cyprus, insisted all along that Bykova died after a tragic fall as she was trying to take a selfie near Petra tou Romiou.

Despite an initial post mortem showing Bykova’s death was caused by multiple trauma, police arrested the boyfriend after state forensic examiners Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou suggested there were signs of sexual molestation and strangulation.

But private forensic pathologist Marios Matsakis, who was called for a defense autopsy by the suspect, has determined that his client’s version of events about a tragic accident checked out.

Police said they did not have official results from the second autopsy, which was led on behalf of the state by Greek expert Chara Spiliopoulou.

No suspected motive has been shared with the media but police said the extension of the remand beyond eight days meant the suspect was still facing the initial charge of premeditated murder.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, a person may be remanded in custody at any one time for a maximum period of eight days.

Matsakis says he saw no signs of rape or strangulation on the body, adding that the suspect’s injuries that seemed suspicious to police were in fact compatible with his client’s statements about attempting to climb down to rescue Bykova.