Man jailed for cutting women’s hair along promenade

A 23-year-old man was jailed for 20 months on Friday for cutting tufts of women’s hair in Protaras between June 2017 and July 2019.

The man used to assault women at the holiday resort’s promenade, using a knife or scissors to cut tufts of their hair.

He was arrested in July after a member of the area’s neighbourhood watch notified the police.

The man was spotted shortly before midnight on July 14, loitering suspiciously in the area.

Officers arrived on the scene and searched the man, finding a 30-centimetre pair of scissors.

He was arrested on the spot for possession of an offensive instrument, police said. A subsequent investigation determined that he was the suspect sought by police in relation with at least 10 assaults against women who had their hair cut with the use of a knife or scissors.

A search of his place of residence found a number of hair tufts as well as a bicycle resembling the one used by the perpetrator of the assaults on the seaside promenade.

During questioning, the man admitted to carrying out the assaults.