Police release woman in hit and run case

Police have released without charge a 23-year-old woman who was arrested on Sunday along with her 35-year-old boyfriend on suspicion of premeditated murder and attempted murder of two British tourists in Paphos.

No incriminating evidence turned up against the woman, police said.

In court on Thursday, the officer investigating Sunday’s apparent hit-and-run incident said police were evaluating the woman’s deposition and that she would likely be called as a prosecution witness in the murder case they intend to file against her Georgian boyfriend.

The woman has provided important information that corroborates testimony incriminating the suspect, who is still in custody.

Under questioning by police the woman said that in the car on their way toward the Ayios Georghios harbour – after hitting the two British men – her boyfriend told her that he did not kill the two tourists but only injured them.

She said he also told her they were the same two men with whom he had had an altercation earlier in a bar.

The 35-year-old driver claims he hit the two men by accident.

Police said they expect to interview about 15 people. The results of forensics analysis of the evidence have yet to come though.

At around 2.30am on Sunday, police were alerted to the fact that two men, pedestrians, were lying injured on the tarmac on the Peyia-Ayios Georghios road in Paphos.

On arriving at the scene, police found a 39-year-old lying dead on the ground. Next to him was another man, aged 32.

The deceased has since been named as Charlie Birch, a builder from Powys, Wales.

A post mortem on Monday found he died from multiple injuries caused by a motorised vehicle.

His friend, a 32-year-old identified as ‘Will’ in the British press, was also injured but is out of danger. He has told the media he believes the driver deliberately ran them down.

The car was later found abandoned at the Ayios Georghios harbour. It was in the sea and had to be pulled out by the fire service.

The suspect and his girlfriend left the harbour on foot and were picked up on the road shortly afterwards by police.

Police suspect that dumping the car in the sea was an attempt to conceal evidence.

Prior to the alleged hit-and-run there had been an altercation at a bar in Coral Bay during which the two Britons reportedly tried to defend the woman, who was being abused by the suspect.

The couple then left the bar and drove off. The two British tourists left later.