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Police sprung into action on Wednesday, arresting a man in Nicosia after video and audio recordings involving possible abuse against a housemaid went viral on social media.
(Click here for an update to the story)
A 68-year-old male suspect was detained on Wednesday in connection with alleged abuse against a female domestic worker, according to a post on Twitter by police.
The arrest came a day after two video clips with audio, posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening, appeared to have recorded a Greek Cypriot retired police officer abusing and tormenting his housemaid, described as a 31-year-old foreign woman, while the phone camera was out of focus.
Reports said the man was heard telling the woman not to lie as he was demanding to know who had arranged for the woman and another man, purportedly a relative of his, to go to the same local bakery at exactly the same time.
“Don’t make me angry now, I don’t want to beat you no more. I don’t want to beat you up but I don’t want you to take me for a fool. So you happened to run into each other at the bakery? How did he know that you were there?” the man was heard asking the woman.
In a second video, as video images turned dark and audio sounded muffled, the clip sounded as if the man was inflicting more physical pain on the woman
As the conversation went on, the woman was heard moaning, crying, and feeling pain, while a phone recording the incident from an angle appeared to be in her lap under a table.
“Ow, ow… how much beating do I have to take from you about this. Every day… ow, ow,” the woman was heard uttering.
She kept saying “enough, enough” while telling the man in broken Greek that she was not telling lies. Reports in local media said sounds could be heard of someone inflicting physical pain on the woman throughout the conversation
“I’ll spit on you, how could you? Talk to me before I cut you up in pieces,” the man was heard telling the woman.
“It never happened,” she kept responding.
In a second video, as video images turned dark and audio sounded muffled, the clip sounded as if the man was inflicting more physical pain on the woman.
“How many times I have to take a beating, I’m telling you, no, no… Mother of God, ow, oh God…” was later heard in the video.
“Did you not see his car there? Why did yo go to get milk at that time? Why didn’t you go at 6:30 or 7 o’clock? Why did you pick that time?” the man asked.
“Go to hell, fuck you. Why didn’t you go earlier to get milk? The bakery was open earlier,” he said, telling her to stop mocking him.
“I’m not mocking you, I just didn’t think we were going to need milk,” she responded.
“You didn’t think, eh? And how come you thought about it when he went there?” he continued.
“I wanted to wait until you woke up, I didn’t want to go somewhere that you wouldn’t know, every day I get beat up for the same reason, every single day…” the woman said.
At that precise moment, the woman screamed and cried as the sound was significantly muffled, with clear movement seen and audible sounds of physical abuse heard in the video.
“Get up and get out of here,” the man later said.
The woman was still crying, saying “where could I go” with the man replying “anywhere you like, I don’t want you here,” the man replied.
“Get lost, take the bus, go downtown and join all the hookers, go anywhere you like,” he told her, as she was heard crying.
Shared video reaches police
Police did not issue an official report about the incident but unconfirmed reports said a police officer in Limassol, who had seen the video or was told about it after it had gone viral, got in contact with CID Nicosia.
Knews has been told there was no official complaint filed in connection with case but there were indications that the alleged victim recorded parts of the incident in order to seek help.
Police arrested the male suspect on a court warrant after officers said they had reasonable suspicions that a crime had been committed.
Reports said the woman, a domestic worker from the Philippines, had endured similar behaviour in the past but was unable to stop it.
