AG appeals ‘lenient’ sentence of child sex offender

THE ATTORNEY-general has launched an appeal against the sentencing of a 62-year-old man recently found guilty on child sex offence charges.

The incidents took place at the 62-year-old’s Mackenzie beach flat between July 1, 2005 and July 22, 2006.

The pensioner, who at time was being watched by state psychologists, pleaded guilty to six charges of sexual harassment of three minors aged nine, 13 and 14. The nine-year-old and 13-year-old were brothers.

The court heard how the defendant performed oral sex on the boys in exchange for cash.

According to the appeal which was filed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Attorney-general Petros Klerides noted that “the court did not impose the necessary severity based on the seriousness of the offences which were committed by the defendant”.

According to the penal code for sex related offences against minors, the maximum sentence for sex offences can carry a prison term of up to 20 years.

The Attorney-general claimed that the decision of Judges Antonis Liatsos, Stallo Hadjiyianni and Charalambos Poyiatzis did not satisfy the cause of justice when compared to the maximum penalty for such offences.

The 62-year-old’s home was placed under surveillance and on the day of his arrest, a nine-year-old boy was spotted going in. When police officers knocked on the door, the minor opened it wearing only his underpants. The older man then admitted he’d been sexually abusing the child.
The pensioner was arrested and immediately confessed to the crimes.

During sentencing, the court took into consideration the defendant’s clean record, his cooperativeness, his remorse and his confession, which spared the boys from suffering a lengthy trial and having to give evidence.

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