Suspended driver who killed motorist aged 25, remanded during hospital hearing  

By George Psyllides

A 48-year-old man who drove into the back of a car killing its driver, 25, in Limassol on Friday, has been remanded in custody for two days.

The suspect, named as Yiannis Kyriakides by the state broadcaster, slammed into the rear of Stephanos Georgiou’s car, which was stopped at the traffic lights in the Enaerios area at around 3am on Friday.

He is suspected of driving while drunk, without a valid licence and insurance.

Reports said Kyriakides’ BMW X6 hit the victim’s car with such force that it sent it flying into a steel pole across the road.

The 25-year-old from Kolossi, died in the mangled wreckage despite wearing his seatbelt, reports said.

At his own request, Kyriakides was taken to a private clinic where he gave a false name, police said.

He later assaulted officers, nurses, and a security guard before he was taken to a police station.

The man initially refused to undergo a breathalyser test and did the same later when asked to provide a blood sample.

Police secured a court order and got their sample, which was sent to the state lab for testing that will include drugs and alcohol.

The suspect was then taken to Limassol general hospital where he was kept for treatment for a leg fracture.

Saturday’s remand hearing was held in hospital.

Kyriakides, a taxi driver, had been given a two-month suspended sentence earlier this year for speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Both his professional and personal driver’s licences had been revoked for six months.

Daily Politis reported that the man was a serial offender, having 14 convictions for speeding between 1990 and 2015.

The delay in releasing information on Friday was due to a request from Georgiou’s mother who did not want her husband, on a business trip in Australia with their other son, to find out about Stephanos’ tragic death through the media before she had a chance to tell them.