Six years for Latchi beach killer

A PAPHOS court yesterday sentenced the 64-year-old who mowed down and killed a man and his dog in Latchi last summer to six years in prison.

Zacharias Christodoulou, 64, from Neo Chorio, ran over Constantinos Anakatos, 50, and his dog last June after a row erupted over the presence of the victim’s dog on the beach in Latchi.

During his trial, Christodoulou claimed it was an accident, telling the court that he had lost his glasses during a spat with the victim and did not see him or his dog when he drove over them. He was convicted of murder and yesterday sentenced to six years imprisonment.

Anakatos was originally from Nicosia but moved to Prodromi a few years earlier. Following the murder last summer, the notion of specially-designated beaches for animals was brought back into the public arena. The local authorities in Ayia Napa acted swiftly designating a beach exclusively for dogs in Ayia Thekla in August. Other authorities have been slower to respond.