Pardoned sex offender ordered to go on the list

The convicted sex offender, whose early release last month caused a public backlash, has been order to go on a special registry for at least three years.

(Click here for an update to the story)

Following his presidential pardon in early September and the public outcry that quickly ensued, the Nicosia District Court has ordered the convicted man to go on a registration list for sex offenders who commit sex crimes against minors.

The order is reportedly valid for three years with the possibility of an extension. Only people who have been convicted as sex offenders are eligible to register with a parole officer and undergo psychiatric evaluations, as part of the monitoring programme. Other restrictions and additional requirements may apply depending on each case.

Knews understands the registration of sex offenders in the Republic of Cyprus does not come automatically with a conviction but it takes place only through a specific ruling by a judge.

The convicted man and his lawyer did not object to the monitoring, an act in and of itself that could have landed him behind bars on the basis of being found in contempt.

President Nicos Anastasiades, who signed off on a general pardon for a number of jailed convicts earlier this year, later apologised to the family of the victim, after she saw her abuser out and about in the neighbourhood without a warning. Reporets said she was a minor when the convicted man sexually abused her. 

The family mounted a protest which picked up steam on social media, with people calling for more strict criteria in pardons and better monitoring of criminals convicted of sex crimes.

Following the public outcry, the pardoned sex offender was detained after police went to search his residence based on an anonymous tip.

Police told Knews they obtained a search warrant after receiving a tip that the released sex offender had illegal explosives in his residence. However, cops did not find any explosives but discovered that security cameras were installed illegally, possibly recording public spaces beyond his property.

While it is legal in other countries to record in public spaces, police told Knews that private citizens in the Republic of Cyprus need special permission to install cameras that record beyond the premises of their private property.

The man was arrested on privacy law violations and later released, while police investigators were sifting through the footage to properly evaluate its content. Unconfirmed media reports raised the question whether cameras had anything to do with recording images associated with the victim and her family.