The Limassol Criminal Court concluded the trial of the double Ypsonas killings today, sentencing the second defendant Andreas Constantinou, to consecutive 10-year prison terms for each manslaughter charge, totalling 20 years imprisonment.
The sentence relates to the knife killings of 44-year-old Marios Onisiforou and 52-year-old Michalis Michael, known as “Millas”, who were stabbed to death in front of friends and patrons at a pub they had visited for entertainment on 29 June 2023.
Andreas Constantinou receives consecutive 10-year terms for manslaughter charges
The court’s unanimous decision will be served from the date Constantinou was taken into custody.
The judges noted that manslaughter is the second most serious crime in the Criminal Code after murder, emphasising that manslaughter cases are showing an upward trend based on the number of cases pending before the courts.
The court referenced Constantinou’s common unlawful purpose with co-defendant Stelios Antoniou, noting that whilst he initially did not know Antoniou carried a knife, he subsequently saw it, continued to remain with him, and participated in the incident by kicking Michael whilst he was already stabbed and on the ground.
Court notes rising trend in manslaughter cases across Cyprus
The Limassol Criminal Court previously imposed the maximum penalty under the Criminal Code – life imprisonment – on 51-year-old defendant Stelios Antoniou on 28 August. The court unanimously sentenced him to consecutive life sentences.
For Constantinou, the court determined that the crime of premeditated double murder was not established and therefore found him guilty of manslaughter of the two victims rather than murder.
Based on prosecution evidence, the court found that Constantinou formed a common plan with former co-defendant Stelios Antoniou to attack the two victims.
Within the framework of executing this purpose, he could reasonably foresee as a possibility the killing of the victims under the specific circumstances.