A 46-YEAR-old Limassol police officer has been remanded for five days and suspended from the force pending an investigation into claims by a 27-year-old Moldavian woman that she was raped in her cell on Saturday.
The woman, who was arrested in January for working illegally on the island, was being held at the Limassol police headquarters for more than a month until the necessary procedures for her deportation were completed.
According to the case presented to the Limassol District Court on Sunday, Sergeant Michalis Masiaris was in charge of shifts at the police station on Saturday evening. The female officer in charge of the female prisoners was called to investigate a case involving a rape and sergeant Masiaris took over, taking the keys to the prisoners’ cells.
But when she came back she saw that Masiaris was upset and then she heard the Moldavian screaming that she had been raped and asking to be taken to see a doctor.
Masiaris allegedly refused to hand the keys back to the officer in charge and insisted to take the alleged victim to the hospital himself. None of the officers is said to have informed their superiors of the incident.
The woman was examined by State Pathologist Panicos Stavrianos, who although confirming there had been sexual contact, said he did not find any external injuries on her body.
Masiaris was immediately arrested and suspended by order of the Chief of Police Tassos Panayiotou, who also ordered a disciplinary investigation against the sergeant.
During his remand hearing on Sunday, a calm and collected Masiaris, who appeared before the court without a lawyer, admitted having sex with the alleged victim, but categorically denied having raped her, saying he had been seduced by the victim, who wanted to find a way to stop her deportation.
Limassol Police Chief George Papageorgiou said the national Chief of Police had given strict instructions that the case be put ahead of every other investigation.
“The investigation that was launched against the officer will show how the events took place and allocate blame to those responsible on the night of the alleged attack,” he said.
Papageorgiou did not rule out the possibility that an investigation would be launched into every aspect concerning staff responsible for guarding and looking after the 40 or so prisoners at the police station.
Justice Minister Doros Theodorou yesterday expressed his own distress at the events and said their effect on the reputation of the force.
“Masiaris has been arrested and is in police custody. The police as well as society will not stand for such behaviour and abuse and there is no question that he and any other persons responsible will be punished accordingly” if found guilty, said Theodorou.
Theodorou stressed that at the time when the woman was allegedly raped no other police officer was present or on guard. “So further investigations will need to be conducted in order for the truth to be revealed.”
