Stepdad jailed after bizarre sexual molestation trial

A bizarre case of sexual molestation against two teenage girls ended with a sentence of their stepdad in Famagusta district, after their biological father testified for the defense.

According to local media, a 43-year-old male described as a permanent resident living in Famagusta district was on Monday sentenced to three and a half years in prison on charges of sexual molestation of minors, both biological daughters of his lady friend.

During a hearing behind closed doors at the Paralimni courthouse, the defendant was found guilty after two sisters testified against him saying they were sexually abused between 2018 and 2020, when the girls were aged 13 and 15 respectively.

But there was a bizarre twist in the case after the biological farther of the two girls took the stand as a witness for the defense.

According to daily Politis, the biological father of the girls testified in court that his daughters had told confided in him that they had lied to police and that the false allegations were meant to exact revenge on the defendant and “get him out of the house.”

But Politis said the two girls were found to be reliable witnesses while state prosecutor Adamos Demosthenous argued their biological father had told lies during cross examination.

No details were provided about the hearing or cross examination by Demosthenous, who made headlines earlier this year in the high profile Ayia Napa rape case.

During her trial in 2019 at the same Paralimni courthouse, a British young woman was convicted on public mischief charges after police said she had retracted her complaint in which she alleged Israeli teens had raped in a hotel room in Ayia Napa.

In September 2021, Demosthenous spoke on behalf of the state attorney’s office and told the Associated Press he disagreed with an appeal decision brought before the Supreme Court in Nicosia, while the defense team of the young woman said they were “happy” they might get a chance to vindicate their client, who insists she was coerced by police to withdraw her complaint without the presence of her lawyer.

Demosthenous told the Associated Press that the British rape accuser, who was 19 at the time, had admitted wrongdoing and apologized before getting a suspended sentence and flying out of the island.

The prosecutor also argues that the woman had been critical of Greek Cypriot Judge Michalis Papathanasiou, who presided over her case, in the documentary “Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case” that was filmed after her conviction.

On Monday the Paralimni judge sided with Demosthenous, finding the biological father an unreliable witness in the trial of the 43-year-old man who got 3.5 years in prison.