The Famagusta Permanent Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old man to 10 years in prison for stabbing an 18-year-old at a restaurant in the Kapparis area of Paralimni last August.
The defendant pleaded guilty to charges including intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, carrying an offensive weapon, and causing public alarm.
The attack took place on the night of August 16, 2025. The defendant went to the restaurant to demand money from a friend of his sister who worked there.
The 18-year-old, the restaurant owner’s son, asked him to leave. The defendant returned shortly afterwards and stabbed him in front of other customers. The victim suffered a kidney injury and was hospitalised.
The defendant had been released from prison just two days before the attack. He was found half an hour after the stabbing wandering in his underwear in the Paralimni area.
Police initially arrested him for causing a public disturbance after he began shouting when approached, and he was subsequently linked to the stabbing.
In sentencing, the court took into account the seriousness of the offences, the circumstances in which they were committed, and the defendant’s criminal record, which included previous convictions for similar offences.
The court stressed “the need to deter the use of violence and to protect society,” adding that such offences “violate fundamental rights and create a sense of insecurity among citizens.”