A 49-year-old man walked free from Limassol Criminal Court today after judges cleared him of all charges related to a shooting at a house in Agios Nikolaos on 26 January 2025.
The court ruled there was reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt, despite evidence linking the crime to a pistol later found hidden in his mother’s grave.
The man faced six charges including unlawfully possessing and carrying a Category B firearm—a pistol—without permission from the Chief of Police, and possessing and carrying two 9mm cartridges without authorisation from the Inspector of Explosives. He was also charged with deliberately firing a weapon in a residential area and damaging the complainant’s window.
The prosecution called 11 witnesses whilst the defence called one.
The incident
According to the court’s findings, an unknown person wearing a hood and gloves parked near the complainant’s house at 05:25 on 26 January, approached on foot, pulled a pistol from a waist bag and fired twice at the property. The bullets hit a window, causing damage. The perpetrator then ran back to his vehicle and left. CCTV cameras captured his movements. The 52-year-old Greek Cypriot complainant, his wife, their son and another person were inside at the time.
Police found the pistol months later hidden in the defendant’s mother’s grave. The perpetrator’s vehicle was the same make and type as the defendant’s car.
Critical gaps
However, the court identified critical gaps in the prosecution’s case. The vehicle’s colour remained unknown, according to witness MK11’s testimony. The State Laboratory found no gunshot residue in the defendant’s vehicle.
Whilst the pistol was found in his mother’s grave, witness MK9 testified that anyone can access the cemetery, and police failed to check for CCTV cameras there. The pistol was never linked to the defendant through any evidence.
Police found gloves and adhesive tape in the defendant’s vehicle, but the State Laboratory could not match them to the gloves and tape used during the shooting.
Under these circumstances, the court ruled there was reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt.
The judgment noted that “bearing in mind the established case law governing criminal law, namely that assumptions about the accused’s guilt are not permitted, no matter how reasonable they may be, the Criminal Court acquitted the accused on all charges”.