Nicosia man accuses police of brutality

A NICOSIA man appeared in court yesterday, claiming that he was attacked by two police officers then unjustly arrested in October last year.

The man was in court charged with assaulting an officer of the law and resisting arrest.

A constable of the Ayios Dhometios police told the court he had taken a statement from the accused Christakis Erotokritou in which he claims that he was severely beaten by a patrol sergeant and a constable outside a kiosk in Ayios Dhometios.

“The accused told me that he had parked outside a kiosk and that the two officers asked him for his licence and registration.

The constable then read from the alleged victim’s statement: “My mobile phone then rang, I answered it and walked towards my car to get the papers. Suddenly one of the officers grabbed me, forced my hands behind my back and said to me ‘You are under arrest. When I get you to the station you will find out who you have just messed with’.”

The constable went on to say that the accused then told him that he was punched and kicked and that he fell to the ground in the process.

“He said that at the station they had him continuously handcuffed and were again mistreating him. At one point he said he felt faint and he collapsed to the ground. He then heard one of the officers say pour a bucket of cold water over him, that should wake the b*****d up.”

Erotokritou’s defence lawyer then quizzed the constable on the stand, accusing him of not properly investigating his complaint. The constable argued that he had gone to the place of the incident but that nobody wanted to go on record.

Judge Angelos David ordered that the trial continue on March 2 where the defence is expected to call up more witnesses.

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