A MAN was sentenced to 13 years in prison yesterday for the attempted murder of Kyriacos Panayis Kosiaris, who was shot five times from close range in the face and neck last year.
The Criminal Court, convening in Larnaca, imposed a 13-year sentence on English Cypriot Christos Tsekouras, 52, from Aradippou, after finding him guilty of the attempted murder of 41-year-old Kosiaris from Peristerona, as well as causing grievous bodily harm and possession and use of a shotgun and explosive material.
According to the court, Tsekouras and Kosiaris knew each other a long time before the crime. On the evening of June 10, 2009, they arranged to meet at the parking lot of Larnaca General Hospital. Using someone else’s car, Tsekouras picked up Kosiaris from the car park and drove him to an open space in Aradippou where Tsekouras resides.
After a heated discussion in the car, Tsekouras pulled out a gun and shot at Kosiaris five times from close range. The 41-year-old took a bullet through the nose, and another that became lodged in his spine just below the throat. Despite his critical condition, Kosiaris managed to run away and seek help from a neighbour close by.
He was taken to Larnaca hospital, where he underwent surgery. Tsekouras abandoned the scene, drove the car to a secluded area and set it alight while also getting rid of the weapon used to shoot Kosiaris.
The criminal court ruled that the motive of the attempted murder remained unclear. They noted that a mitigating factor was “the lack of pre-meditation”.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the court rejected Tsekouras’ testimony as being “totally unreliable”. The defendant had argued that Kosiaris was shot in self-defence or as a result of an accident.
During the hearing, the accused claimed that it was Kosiaris who had brought the gun and tried to use it first, while he didn’t have a gun.
While noting the mitigating factor above, the court highlighted the seriousness of the crime. In sentencing, the court said: “The accused used a gun, which poses extreme danger to human life. He didn’t use it once, but shot the complainant five times. He shot him at point-blank or almost point-blank range. These are circumstances which show that the defendant not only intended to kill the victim but sought to carry out his intention in a brutal and heinous manner.”
