Man gets jail for breaking curfew to visit girlfriend

The Famagusta district court on Tuesday sentenced a 35-year-old man to 45 days in prison after he was caught on the streets after curfew, with the man claiming he was visiting his girlfriend.

The court had found the 35-year-old guilty of violating movement restriction measures enforced to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Police caught the 35-year-old breaking curfew at 9:15pm in Dherynia on March 25, when curfew was in effect from 9pm until 6am.

Upon questioning, the man claimed he violated curfew to visit his girlfriend.

Issuing its decision, the court said many countries including Cyprus were forced to impose restrictive measures to curb the pandemic, adding that though these measures have dramatically altered daily life, none can act as if they are above them.

“Some think they are above the law,” the court said, stressing that such behaviour “is unacceptable and one such case concerns the defendant who simply decided to go see his girlfriend.”

The court highlighted the severity of all violations of laws in place for the protection of public health, noting that in response the court needs to be strict.