Attorney-general defends appeal for stiffer sentence for juvenile

ATTORNEY-general Solon Nikitas yesterday defended his decision to appeal a Paphos court’s decision to sentence a 17-year-old boy to two years imprisonment, suspended for three years, for stabbing a classmate in the back during a classroom brawl. Nikitas’ office has demanded a longer prison sentence with no suspension and sent the case to the Supreme Court.

In a statement in his defence, Nikitas said: “The offence with which the accused was charged was one of grievous bodily harm. The severity of the crime is reflected in its anticipated sentence, which is seven years imprisonment.”

Although the Attorney-general would not disclose aspects of the case, he said only two of the judges on the bench had backed the more lenient sentence. “The third member of the court disagreed, and in a separate decision, sentenced the accused to three years imprisonment, effective immediately.”

Based on these facts and taking into account other aspects of the incident, Nikitas believed the case should be taken to the Supreme Court. “The final word on the matter will of course be had by the Supreme Court, which is the secondary judicial instrument according to the Republic’s constitution,” he said.

Opposition DISY, which has tabled a bill introducing juvenile courts to deal with young offenders, argues the 17-year-old never should have been tried in an adult court to begin with.

“This was an example of when the youth should have been tried in a juvenile court,” said deputy Ionas Nicolaou.

If passed, DISY hopes the bill will help in the education or re-education of underage offenders and will rectify delinquent behaviour rather than locking up youths and turning them into criminals. The courts would be made up of one judge with ability and experience in dealing with minors’ issues.