Supreme Court imposes higher sentence on child abuser

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Cyprus’ Supreme Court approved an appeal filed by Attorney General George Savvides overturning an “insufficient” prison sentence handed to a man convicted of sexually abusing a minor, increasing jail time from nine to 13 years.

In its ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court said: “Courts should impose severe and deterrent sentences in cases of rape and sexual abuse of children, particularly when committed against young and defenceless persons.

“Sexual offences by their very nature degrade and erode the human dignity of the victim, often stigmatising their life irreparably and in an unpredictable way”.

The lower court sentence was delivered in 2020 by the Nicosia Criminal Court, later overruled by the Supreme Court, following the Attorney General’s intervention.

The defendant had also filed an appeal, claiming that the sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

His appeal was dismissed in its entirety by the Supreme Court.

On behalf of the state prosecution, the case was handled by Marina Masoura.