Newsroom
The Supreme Court has called on authorities to reevaluate a prison release programme for sex offenders, citing a case where a convicted man under a restraining order had preyed on his niece while another case was pending against him.
According to local media, a 40-year-old man who was appealing the length of a 10 year sentence after being convicted of child sex abuse, lost his case with the bench warning that prison release programs for serious sex crimes should be reexamined.
The judges rejected the appeal of the plaintiff, who was convicted on sexual molestation and rape charges after his niblings testified against him in connection with a case dating back between 2015 and 2017.
Two girls, described as the man’s nieces aged 10 and 12 at the time, had been living on the first floor with their 9-year-old brother, right above a ground level residence where their uncle was staying in Limassol district.
'This unlawful behavior in fact had occurred after he had been arrested in connection with this case and after he had been ordered to stay away from minors'
According to details heard in court, the uncle was sexually harassing his nieces and nephew by showing them his genitals as well as hardcore porn videos on his phone. He also carried out indecent sexual acts against the two girls in two separate instances, resulting to sexual assault charges after one of the girls spoke out in December 2017.
According to details heard in court, the uncle would urge the children not to say anything about his behavior, saying otherwise he would end up getting in trouble.
“They’re gonna lock me up,” the man would say.
The Judges pointed out that he never stopped even knowing that the older niece had notified other members of the family about the abuse.
“By exploiting the trust he had gained from them… the plaintiff was acting in a methodical manner to satisfy his perverted sexual urges,” the bench said.
But the Judges, who rejected an appeal for sentence reduction in the case, spoke about a serious perversion, citing a previous conviction where the sex offender had been sentenced to 20 years but was released back in 2010.
They also went on to say that the plaintiff had also violated a restraining order that barred him from approaching minors by reaching out to another niece through social media and carrying out indecent sexual acts against the young female.
“This unlawful behavior in fact had occurred after he had been arrested in connection with this case and after he had been ordered to stay away from minors,” the Judges pointed out.
