Boy, 14, stabbed to death by known psychotic

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy was stabbed to death in Limassol yesterday in an unprovoked attack by a 29-year-old man with a history of drug abuse and mental problems.

The boy, who lived in the Turkish Cypriot quarter of Limassol, was fishing with friends on the wooden gangway near the old Limassol port when, at around 4.30pm and for no apparent reason, he was attacked by Andreas Nicolaou also from Limassol.

The assailant stabbed 14-year-old Salih Mehmet Ez Houvar six times in the stomach and chest area before sticking the knife in the right temple of his head. Salih was transferred to Limassol General Hospital in that condition where he died minutes after arrival as doctors struggled to save his life.

Relatives and friends of the 14-year-old Turkish Cypriot arrived at the hospital in huge numbers soon after, only to be told of his fate.

When a Port Police officer near the scene tried to arrest Nicolaou he immediately jumped off the gangway and into the sea. The officer then alerted members of the coastal guard who had a boat in the area. They eventually caught the attacker and brought him to shore where he was arrested and taken into custody.

He was then examined by a psychiatrist who confirmed that the assailant was suffering from psychosis and had been treated twice before in the psychiatric unit.

According to reports, the 29-year-old had approached the victim unprovoked, after which there was a verbal exchange between the two leading to the stabbing.

Assistant to the Chief of Police, Soteris Charalambous, said yesterday that the assailant was known to the police as a person with a history of psychosis and drug use.

“There are indications that lead to the suspicion that the assailant was under the influence of drugs,” said Charalambous. He described the killing as “tragic”.

Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides expressed the government’s sadness at the “hideous crime” and gave his condolences to the family, adding that the assailant had had a criminal record.

It was clear that the crime had no political motives, Chrysostomides added.

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