Defence claims attack was induced by diabetic fit
A NICOSIA man was yesterday jailed for eight months for assaulting his former father-in-law.
The 48-year-old man was yesterday jailed by a Nicosia Court after pleading guilty to two counts of illegal entry into his father-in-law’s house and assault.
The incident occurred in the early hours of January 21 last year.
According to Judge Angelos David, the defendant had been divorced from his 36-year-old wife for five years when the incident occurred.
His ex-wife and her four children had since moved in with her parents at their home in Strovolos.
According to State Prosecutor Alexia Shapanis, the defendant had gone round to his father-in-law’s home on the night in question and banged on the door.
Awoken by the noise, the 69-year-old man answered the door only to see his former son-in-law determined on seeing his children.
His ex-wife had gone out for the evening.
He then called out, “Come down children, we’re leaving!”
“As he approached the stairs to go up to the children’s rooms,” said the judge, “his former father-in-law stood in his way so as not to allow him to go upstairs.
“As a result, the defendant attacked him and assaulted him. He fell to the ground bleeding.”
It was then that the oldest of the four children – his 15-year-old son – grabbed his father and pushed him out of the house.
At around the same time, his ex-wife arrived and on seeing her ex-husband’s car outside the house, drove straight to the police station.
Police later arrived at the house and arrested the 48-year-old. The victim was rushed to hospital where he received treatment for cuts and bruising around his body.
“Upon his arrest, the defendant said ‘I do not admit anything’ and later told officers at the police station that it was the father-in-law who attacked him in the house and that he merely pushed him.”
The defendant also claimed that the father-in-law injured himself when he fell over.
The man’s defence lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou had previously told the court that his client was a diabetic and that his actions on that night were inhibited by his blood-sugar condition, which, the court heard, can “alter somebody’s behaviour and even make them anti-social”.
Despite taking into account the side-effects that the condition could pose to some people, the court ruled that the defendant’s actions were still very serious and that the law needed to take a hard stand against such offences.
Judge David then jailed the defendant to eight months imprisonment.
The 48-year-old was also jailed for three months for the charge of illegal entry although both charges will run concurrently.
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