A dispute triggered by a car horn outside a Limassol bank branch ended in a stabbing last Friday, with a 58-year-old suspect appearing before Limassol District Court on Monday and being remanded in custody for three days.
According to the facts of the case, the 68-year-old complainant was outside a bank branch in the Mesa Geitonia area of Limassol on 27 March when a confrontation broke out with a 22-year-old female driver who was also parked at the scene.
During the altercation, the 58-year-old passenger in the young woman’s vehicle attacked the complainant, stabbing him in the torso.
The complainant had gone to the branch to withdraw cash from an ATM and had parked his car on the road opposite. At the same time, the 22-year-old arrived and parked nearby, with the 58-year-old as her passenger. The suspect got out to use the ATM and then returned to the passenger seat.
As the vehicle was leaving, the 22-year-old reversed and the complainant honked to warn her of a possible collision. The young driver then began verbally abusing him, at which point the complainant got out of his car and approached the passenger side of the other vehicle to demand an explanation.
The 58-year-old attempted to get out of the car but the complainant initially pushed him back. On his second attempt, the suspect pulled a knife from his right jacket pocket and stabbed the complainant. The suspect then got back in the vehicle and fled with the driver.
The victim was taken to a private hospital in Limassol, where he was found to have a laceration to the abdominal wall. He was treated and discharged.
The 22-year-old driver was arrested on Saturday, 28 March, on a court warrant. She was charged in writing and released pending a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Investigators are expecting to take a further 17 witness statements. A search for the knife is also planned, along with a police lineup.