‘You have three hours to live’

A 39-YEAR-OLD Nicosia district village resident was yesterday in court after he was charged with threatening the life of his 61-year-old village community leader over moving some rubbish.

According to the defence the man’s only witness has a heart condition and was yesterday unable to appear in court to testify.

Instead of postponing the hearing, both sides agreed to continue with their concluding arguments.

The defence said the community leader had clearly tried to punish his client for doing something he did not do. He said the 61-year-old had caused problems for his client for quite some time and that he had taken him to court on a false charge and had repeated the false charge.

According to the prosecution the 39-year-old had threatened the older man when he was accused of throwing out some garbage. The younger man denied throwing out the items in question and allegedly retorted to the accusation with: “It is now 4.45pm. I give you three hours until 8pm to live. You’re finished. I didn’t throw them out. I gave them to Lefkaritis.”

The prosecution said the man was not in court over whether he had moved the items or not, but because he had threatened the 61-year-old to the extent that he had felt frightened enough to report it.

Unshaven and dressed in a black pair of trousers and t-shirt with a khaki multi pocket waistcoat, a black bum-bag tucked underneath his protruding belly and scruffy, black trainers, the suspect appeared unfazed by the charge. At one point a small smile escaped from the 39-year-old as he glanced round the courtroom when his alleged threat was read out. Perhaps realising where he was, he quickly looked down before resuming his focused stare on his lawyer, his chubby hands gripping the wooden railing around the dock.

The judge said sentencing would take place on July 7.

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