Man locked up in Zakaki attempted murder

A Sri Lankan man has been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison after he was found guilty in the attempted murder of his wife in Limassol last summer.

According to local media, 47-year-old Sunil Sepala Yatibahu Mudalige from Sri Lanka was ordered by a Limassol criminal court on Monday to spend the next six and a half years behind bars in connection with the attempted murder of his wife, also from Sri Lanka.

The convicted man, who had been separated from his 50-year-old wife, was living in Italy when he flew to Cyprus in July and went one morning to meet with her in Zakaki, Limassol, in order to discuss divorce papers.

During the encounter, which took place in the kitchen of the residence where the woman was on staff, there was an argument according to local media. The wife refused to sign the divorce papers and the man reportedly grabbed a knife from the kitchen and injured the woman in her face and abdomen.

She was then rushed to the ER where she underwent emergency surgery, while her husband was caught the next day at Larnaca International Airport trying to board a flight back to Milan.

Another male, described as a 72-year-old Greek Cypriot, was also implicated in the incident after the Sri Lankan man told police the local drove him to the residence where the attack took place.

The local man was arrested but later released from custody, with reports saying he drove the husband but otherwise had no connection with the assault.